By Klaas Jelle Koffeman on 11 July 2014

Dolly rope is known as ‘pluis’ in Holland, which literally translates to ‘fluff’. We usually aim at replacing dolly rope before it turns into just that, as fluff doesn’t adequately protect our nets...  

Before the dolly rope era, fishermen used different materials to protect their nets. Old ropes were unraveled and attached to the fishing nets, rubber conveyer belts were cut up into pieces and used and we even attached old bicycle tires (must be Dutch…) to the nets for protection.

So now it’s 2014 and suddenly we want to get rid of dolly rope. Why? Dolly rope is effective, cheap and practical. However, the fishing industry wants to take its corporate social responsibility. Dolly rope is an abundant type of marine litter and although it might not interfere with our day-to-day life, we all know it doesn’t belong in our seas and on our beaches. The ‘plastic soup’ in the Pacific Ocean is a commonly discussed topic when it comes to environmental impacts and companies should make sure they’re not responsible for contributing to the problem, or should take responsibility as we’re doing now. 

A search for an alternative protection for our fishing nets has been born. With this website we would like to inform you about our progress and we’d like to invite you to share your ideas on our online platform. We will test the most promising alternatives at sea. Our diverse team conducted a number of tests in 2013, but we’re not 100% satisfied with the results. Regarding the progress in the development of sustainable materials, we are certain we’ll be able to find a good replacement for dolly rope soon. I dare  state that our beaches and seas will be dolly rope free in 2020, and would like to invite you to share this ambition and help us fulfill this sustainable prophecy! 

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