Using artificial intelligence to combat lost networks

Every year, tens of thousands of tonnes of fishing nets, known as ghost nets, end up in the sea. Sea creatures and diving birds get caught in them indiscriminately and usually die an agonising death. Artificial intelligence is now helping to salvage them.

Since the 1960s, fishing nets have no longer been made from the perishable natural materials hemp, sisal or linen, but from synthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene and polyamide (nylon, Kevlar). Nets or net parts manufactured in this way and then lost or disposed of at sea only decompose after several hundred years and thus contribute to the plastic pollution of our oceans.

According to the latest studies, ghost nets make up between 30 and 50 per cent of marine plastic and continue to catch uselessly. Over time, they sink to the seabed and decompose into smaller microplastic pieces (less than 5 mm in size) and then enter the marine food chain - with as yet unknown consequences for the largest ecosystem on our planet. Also