10/02/2026
Last winter, Wild Rye introduced me to the idea that my used fishing nets could be recycled — repurposed into anything from lawn chairs to technical outerwear.
While I’m out fishing on Bristol Bay, my 200 fathom (1200 ft) long net can run off and on the hydraulic reel anywhere from 8 to 70 times, bringing in anywhere from a few fish to upwards of 12,000lbs of wild salmon in a single haul.
As the season goes on, our nets become worn and ragged and we trade them out and send them off to our local recycler, “Net-Your-Problem”.
The company estimates it has processed 2.2 million pounds of fishing gear since 2017!! That’s web that won’t end up in the ocean or landfills, but instead, might become your new favorite sunglasses.
After collection, the web and lines are cleaned, bailed, shredded and chemically broken down into different types of plastics. Outerwear companies use the recycled fibers in high performance fabrics to keep you dry on those ultra deep powder days (I tested them last year and Japan!).
It’s gratifying to know that my fishing nets, the very thing that provides my livelihood and feeds the world with a clean, sustainable protein will go on to their second, third and fourth lives.
Though by no means perfected, pursuing recycling en-mass feels like a way to tip the scales, reusing existing material and ultimately decreasing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of virgin plastics.
♻️ 🐟 ♻️
