Garware Technical Fibres have created a high-density polyethylene netting that can be impregnated with traditional water-based antifouling paints, an advancement the company said makes its product unique in the fishing industry.
The Pune, Maharashtra, India-based company is marketing its new product to Chile’s aquaculture industry, as it said logistical difficulties make it difficult for Chilean salmon-farmers to clean their nets in-situ.
“Before this technology, HDPE was not paintable. With its development, the nature of the fiber surface is modified, allowing traditional paint to be perfectly fixed with complete compatibility,” Business Associate Garware Chile Business Associate Marcos Jofré said in a press release.
Several Chilean salmon-farming companies are currently using or trialing the new nets, according to Garware, which said its nets have a high resistance to abrasion and can incorporate anti-UV additives. But its biggest selling point, the company said, is the fact that the cost of polyethylene paints is higher and their availability is limited, making Garware’s pre-impregnation process a good value.
“The majority of aquaculture companies prefer to use nets with antifouling, a situation different from the rest of the world, where cleaning in situ prevails,” the company said.
Garware said the new Star V4 nets are able to undergo a second cycle of impregnation with antifouling paints while maintaining much of its tensile strength.
“Polyethylene with antifouling does not lose resistance over time, which provides great flexibility in the strategic process of cleaning the nets, since it is possible to migrate from impregnation to cleaning in situ or vice versa with ease to deliver the better conditions for salmonids, complying with the new regulations required by the sectoral authority,” Jofré said.
In 2021, Mowi Chile announced it was analyzing a Garware fabric the company
Photo courtesy of Garware
