Shaping sustainable aquaculture

The world’s population hit eight billion in 2022. With ever more mouths to feed, ensuring the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture is key to unlocking a global food system that can meet people’s nourishment needs, now and in the future. It’s a major concern for developing regions in particular, where the high-quality protein provided by nutrient-rich fish is helping to alleviate food scarcity and malnutrition.

With this in mind, how can Dyneema®-based netting help the industry optimize production and improve sustainability?

Improving aquaculture to meet global demand

In many parts of the world, aquaculture is already playing a central role in getting fish to the table. After all, not only does farming produce more fish for our plates, but it can also reduce pressure on depleted wild stocks. In fact, in 2020, the FAO reported that aquaculture was responsible for nearly half of the world’s fish supply, up from just 13% in 1990.

But to meet future demand, and to keep the industry sustainable, new approaches to aquaculture are required.

Bigger nets bring bigger challenges

One major trend is the shift to larger cage nets. This makes sense: bigger nets can house a greater volume of fish and lower the relative costs of labor, equipment, and repairs. Nevertheless, these larger cages – up to 160meters in circumference – bring new challenges. When made with traditional nylon, they quickly become much heavier (weighing more than four tonnes each) and harder to handle, thereby requiring more equipment,personnel, and inspections and repairs.

Faced with these challenges, aquaculture operators are looking to increase cage size without increasing the attendant risks. For many in the industry today, the solution lies in cage nets made with Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™.

Fishing for success with Dyneema

Dyneema® is an ideal solution for the rigors of large-scale aquafarming. First, it’s much stronger and lighter than nylon: nets made with Dyneema® are approximately one-third of the weight of their nylon equivalents, while remaining reliably strong, lasting longer, and being much easier and safer to handle.

As well as an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, Dyneema®-based nets also have excellent bite resistance – making it much harder for predators like seals and sea lions to damage and enter the cages and for farmed fish to bite their way out. They’re also easier to maintain, particularly in the case of larger cages, where the lightweight nature and natural buoyancy of Dyneema® fibers allow for easier handling. Meanwhile, the fibers’ smaller diameter reduces their surface area by around 30%, making it more difficult for fouling organisms to cling to the nets. All this means that switching from nylon to Dyneema® greatly lowers the ongoing operational costs of aquaculture nets.

There are environmental benefits, too. The presence of fewer fouling organisms means nets made with Dyneema® need less antifouling than nylon alternatives, meaning less pollution from cleaning products. What’s more, the lower solidity of Dyneema®-containing nets results in better water flow in the cage and thus higher oxygen levels, creating a healthier environment for the fish.

Protecting the oceans; providing for our tables

Higher performance. Greater efficiencies. Improved sustainability. Nets made using Dyneema® fibers are helping to position aquaculture as an essential ingredient in the recipe for keeping the world fed, today and tomorrow.