Providing antifouling properties to fishing nets with encapsulated econea

Aquaculture is usually carried out in cage nets made of textile materials. Fouling organisms settle on the cage nets over time, close the mesh openings, and cause unwanted weight gain. In order to prevent this problem, fishing nets or cages are treated with antifouling paints. Therefore, there is a great need for developing eco-friendly antifouling biocides since negative ecological effects have been proven for the current antifouling biocides and paints. In this study, it was aimed to take advantage of the slow and sustained release of microcapsule technology. For this purpose, econea active agent (an eco-friendly antifouling chemical) was encapsulated with spray-dryer method, carried out capsule optimization studies, and impregnated to the ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fishing nets with two different binders as polyurethane and acrylic. Fishing nets, which transferred microcapsules, were compared with a commercial copper oxide-based dye. Microcapsule-treated and untreated net samples were immersed in a marine ecosystem next to an aquaculture zone for six months in the Aegean Sea. Fouling organisms on nets were observed by taking underwater photographs at periodic intervals. Physical tests (tensile strength, variation in mass) were performed on the nets before and after the treatment with microcapsules. Solidity of the nets and analyses of fouling organisms were examined after the field study. These results show that copper-free eco-friendly antifouling microcapsules are effective against the fouling mechanism. The novel ecofriendly formulation has promising results, and slightly dissolving versions of studied ecofriendly microcapsules could be an alternative for copper-based antifouling biocides.