It is nice to see that also with our own input and energy from North Sea Cleanup, last years results of our partner ‘Healthy Seas’ rose with 50%!

MUTUAL PRESSRELEASE –HEALTHY SEAS
On behalf of ECNC Group, Aquafil and Star Sock

Stellendam- Last weekend it was the last weekend for this 2014 seasons to recuperate ghostnets from the North Sea .The result was 6000 kilo. The Total quantity nets that Healthy Seas coud present for recycling from the Netherlands and Belgium this year amounts to 29.000 kilo.
That is a progress of almost 50 % in comparison with 2013.

In 2014 the number of diveteams that were active in Netherland and Belgium with the salvage of ghostnets rose. Three diveteams and a salvor are active for Healthy Seas ;together they had 16 operational days. Also two depots are opened where divers can deposit their ghosnets and where fishermen can deliver their old and worn nets. It concerns the harbours of Stellendam, Oostende and Den Oever.
All these partners are actively researching the solutions to reduce the waste in the sea.

Healthy Seas
Healthy Seas – a journey from waste to wear is an initiative from ECNC Land &Sea Group, Aquafil and Star Sock. They work together with their partners to recuperate waste from the sea and if possible to recycle. Here in particular in concerns lost fishingnets in the European waters. The lost fishingnet represent a big problem. According a combined report from the FAO and UNEP an estimated 640.000 tons of fishingnets lands in the oceans per year, that is about one tenth of all the straygarbage, these nets stay in the marine ecosystem for a very long time and many seaanimals like dolphins, turtles, crabs, and seabirds get entangled and die. Sometimes recuperated nets from the sea are being dumped or burned, but Healthy Seas initiative promotes the recycling to ECONYL yarn,a high quality raw material with which new products like socks, bathingsuits, underwear and tapistry can be made.

www.healthyseas.org