Surfdome Teams Up With Magicseaweed To Raise Awareness For Ghost Fishing

Surfdome and Magicseaweed have partnered up with German-based company Bracenet to produce a sustainable leash string to attach a leash to the board.Bracenet will be employing  experienced divers to collect old nets, which can then be used to create products or be recycled into a high-quality nylon yarn. Surfdome will be giving away a free leash string to raise awareness to the cause.

Press Release: Ghost Fishing accounts for 10% of all marine waste, devastating ecosystems and marine life. Over 650,000 marine animals are estimated to die every year from getting caught in these nets and discarded gear, most of which is made from plastic.

The term ‘ghost’ arrives from these (sometimes miles long) sections of net, drifting across the surface of the ocean, catching everything that swims into its path. The nets eventually get so heavy they will sink to the ocean floor until the organic matter in them decomposes and they are light enough to rise to the surface again. Given the high-quality synthetic plastics which make up the nets, this process continues cycle after cycle, devastating ecosystems, whilst also shedding incredibly harmful microplastics.

Protecting our patch
Surfdome and magicseaweed wanted to find a way they could help highlight the problem, whilst providing their customers with a functional and essential part of every surfer’s equipment. The humble leash string.

Acting as a badge for each of their surfboard customers, the string helps them show that they care and are concerned over the plight of their playground and the lifeforms they share it with.

Environmental Partnership
Surfdome and magicseaweed partnered with German-based company Bracenet to help produce a leash string for surfers to use when attaching their leash to their board. Bracenet aims to create a circular economy by using experienced divers to collect old nets, which can then be used to create products or be recycled into a high-quality nylon yarn.

Leash strings connecting us to our boards and the ocean
The string is made from a simple piece of ghost net in the usual leash string length. The strings, (while not tested in anything “Big Wave” worthy) have been put through their paces and rigorously tested. Each string comes from a specific expedition by Bracenet to lift nets from the ocean.

Anyone can help further tackle this issue, whether it is by picking up marine waste from the beach and supporting the 2 Minute Movement or by getting behind Fishing for Litter, an initiative using the fishing industry directly to tackle the marine waste crisis.

Surfdome’s Core Market Executive – Harry Jellicoe said: “We share our customers’ concerns about the damages we are making to the oceans. Ghost fishing nets wreak havoc wherever they are found. Our leash strings aren’t the solution, but it’s a focus on an issue that we all need to be aware of and take action on. We hope our customers use the string with pride on their favourite new board”

About Surfdome as part of the Internet Fusion Group
Europe’s largest outdoor and action sports retailer has gained a formidable reputation in the sustainability field, since eliminating 74% of the plastic from its own packaging in 2015. By 2018 the company reached 95% plastic-free packaging and continues to eliminate further.

These actions have led to the company becoming a case study for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and has been ranked as one of the top 14 companies tackling ocean waste. Building on this platform, the brand has moved to a new state of the art warehouse facility at the start of 2018, the building boasts the highest standard of energy efficiency, generates its own power and heat from the sun and is run on 100% renewable electricity and 100% Biogas tariffs. The business is now quadrupling its solar PV systems

About Bracenet:
Together with their partners, they retrieve and clean the ghost nets all over the world and convert them into bracelets, which are more than a pretty accessory: an aide memoire, an inspiration and a conversation starter. Their aim is to make everyone aware of the danger caused by ghost nets. By wearing a Bracenet you become an ambassador to our joint goal: to protect the seas. Every Bracenet means a piece of ghost net less in the ocean. Therefore: SAVE THE SEAS, WEAR A NET.