KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� Feb. 10, 2026 鈥� Each year, an estimated 500,000 to one million tons of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing materials languish in the world鈥檚 oceans. This 鈥済host gear鈥� ranges from monofilament and braided fishing lines to the ropes and nets that are integral for commercial fishing. And it can be catastrophic for marine life, ensnaring fish and imperiling sea turtles鈥� even damaging coral reefs.
Through a new partnership with the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel, an assistant professor in textiles, fashion merchandising and design in the 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Business is working to find a use for the discarded gear.
Ciesielska-Wrobel has amassed several hundred pounds of ghost gear to study from the waters surrounding Rhode Island. She has about 30 pounds in her lab.
鈥淚鈥檝e taken in ghost gear with different thicknesses, different colors, some that are twisted, braided and even knitted rope, which is unique,鈥� said Ciesielska-Wrobel.
CFRF is a private organization that promotes research and education focused on providing those dependent on commercial fishing with better information and effective technologies to support more sustainable fishing practices.
As part of an exploratory study, Ciesielska-Wrobel is exploring ways to resurrect ghost gear as well as potential new uses.
鈥淎s a textile scientist, I see this as a unique category of marine pollution that still retains recoverable material value,鈥� said Ciesielska-Wrobel. 鈥淯nlike microfibers dispersed throughout water鈥攚hich are impossible to scoop and remove on a larger scale鈥攇host gear can often be physically retrieved and potentially repurposed after cleaning and processing.鈥�
While she has shown that it鈥檚 possible to restore and repurpose ghost gear, the question that remains is whether it is economically feasible to do so.
Like any textile, the process of recycling the gear is painstaking, dictated by the condition of the fibers. Turning ghost gear back into a usable textile is a multi-step process. No matter how dirty, Ciesielska-Wrobel鈥檚 initial step involves dislodging sediment and debris鈥攁 task akin to shaking mud from soiled garments.
Anyone who鈥檚 tried getting mud out of clothes knows, this is merely the beginning. Some pieces have been buried on the ocean floor for an indeterminate period and, as a result, have been heavily encrusted. Ciesielska-Wrobel follows the initial step with a power wash which helps to strip away calcified crusts and marine biota. This is followed by another clean using laundry detergent and hot water.
Only when the gear is rendered pristine can the resurrection commence by breaking down some of the plastic filament in the ghost gear, like polyesters.
鈥淚 have a melt spinning machine where I can put thermoplastic materials in a different form,鈥� said Ciesielska-Wrobel.
Once the material is warmed up and melted, she can extrude it into a filament. The challenge lies in precision. Even the most infinitesimal impurity can compromise the integrity of the final product.
鈥淚f there are more impurities, there is a tendency that the filament that comes out of the spinning machine will break because many of those chunks of debris on the materials are not supposed to be there,鈥� she adds.
According to Ciesielska-Wrobel, what comes out of the melt spinning machine isn鈥檛 fine enough to be used for clothes; the filament could find new life as fishing line or storage bags鈥攁 meaningful redemption for material once deemed waste.
鈥淢ost of the time the melt spinning machine produces filament that鈥檚 about a half a millimeter, so it’s relatively thick鈥攎aybe not ideal for typical textile applications,鈥� she said.
Finding a solution to the ghost gear problem stands to benefit the commercial fishing industry as well as the environment as about 90% of sea life trapped by the abandoned gear is of commercial value.
Moving forward, Ciesielska-Wrobel is investigating the economic feasibility of the process by installing meters in her lab to get a handle on water consumption as well as analyzing cleaning product consumption and the cost versus output.
As a result, Ciesielska-Wrobel鈥檚 exploratory study could lead the way in a new type of renewable economy that revolves around the earth鈥檚 most abundant resource鈥攖he ocean.
鈥淩emoving and repurposing abandoned fishing gear helps protect marine ecosystems by preventing continued entanglement of wildlife and reducing plastic pollution, said Ciesielska-Wrobel. 鈥淎t the same time, recovered materials may be reused or recycled into new products, supporting circular economy efforts.鈥�