Omani students invent biodegradable fishing line

In Oman, students at University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Muscat have developed biodegradable fishing line from Prosopis juliflora tree, an invasive species more commonly known as mesquite or marine Ghaf. They also founded a startup, called Hyaal, to scale up and commercialize the fishing line.

“The idea came with the aim of creating an environmentally friendly product with the aim of reducing the negative impact of the current fishing equipment in order to reach high quality, effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing products,” company CEO Husna bint Khalfan Al Habsi tells Oman Times.

Fishing line is usually made form synthetic materials that add to ocean pollution and take centuries to break down. Marine life can also become harmed—often fatally—if they become tangled in the line.