Developing environmentally friendly fishing nets by integrating halogenated marine terpene with hydrogel polymers

Abstract

Barnacles (Amphibalanus amphitrite) and blue mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) cause significant damage to ship hulls and fishing nets. To address these issues, organotin compounds such as tributyltin oxide have historically been used as antifouling agents. However, the use of organotin compounds has been globally restricted since 2008 owing to their environmental impact. Currently, copper-based compounds are being used as alternatives; however, concerns regarding their ecological effects remain unaddressed. While antifouling measures for ship hulls are well-established, effective solutions for fishing nets are still limited. To address this gap, we aimed to develop environmentally friendly fishing nets using halogenated marine terpene and hydrogel polymers. The marine red alga genus Laurencia is known to be a rich source of halogenated secondary metabolites with various bioactivities. Among these, laurinterol, a compound abundantly found in Laurencia okamurae, exhibits remarkable antifouling effects on sessile organisms. Additionally, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/poly methacrylic acid (poly(MAAc)) displays antifouling activity. Based on this, we attempted to create novel fishing nets with antifouling properties by combining the natural terpenoid laurinterol with PVA/poly(MAAc). The antifouling assay revealed that PVA/poly(MAAc) loading laurinterol suppressed byssal thread formation by 93%. This study presents data on the development of these environmentally friendly fishing nets, including detailed results of durability tests conducted in a large flowing water tank.