THE Norwegian net recycling company Norsk Fiskeriretur AS (Nofir AS) has decided to expand its operations into Europe, with a particular focus on Scotland.

 

Created on Tuesday, 26 November 2013

 

 

 

The company sees an opportunity to create a pan-European system for collecting discarded equipment from the fishing and fish farming industries in order to reduce amount of fishing nets and ropes which are dumped to the European seas every year.

Nofir was established in 2008 in Norway, in response to the increasing problems caused by discarded nets and ropes, as reported by Norwegian environmental organizations, fishermen and public institutions. Nofir acquires used nets, ropes and cords from the maritime industry and converts them into plastic that can be reused. The aim of the company is not only the recovery of recyclable materials but also reducing water pollution caused by discarded equipment from the fishing and fish farming industries.

The company received funding from the European Union within the framework of the Eco-Innovation initiative that supports innovative ideas, services and processes which provide environmental protection. Nofir sees great potential in Europe, especially in Scotland, where it actively cooperates with fishermen and companies in collecting discarded material.

"Scotland is a great country to cooperate with but the main problem is that people who work in fishing industry don't realize that they can make ecological choices. First of all, they do not know what to do with such a large amount of useless material. With our help they can recycle material contributing to environmental protection instead of throwing away old equipment. Our goal is to inform everyone that throwing fishing nets can have a very negative impact on the environment. We want to propose assistance in their disposal," says Øistein Aleksandersen, the company's CEO.

It is estimated that each year 640,000 tonnes of useless nets and ropes are discarded or lost in the sea, which is a serious threat to both marine life and divers. According to the WWF, fishermen for various reasons (storms, accidents, etc) throw annually from 5,500 to 10,000 tonnes of gillnets in the Baltic Sea.

The company has plans to create a pan-European system for collecting discarded material and organise an information campaign in support of the protection of European seas. Nofir is open for

co-operation with fishermen, businesses or institutions that want to get rid of useless materials.