A social enterprise from Cornwall has launched a fundraiser that is turning sea waste into sunglasses.
Ocean Conversation Namibia (OCN) and social-enterprise Waterhaul, based in Newquay, are collaborating to recycle deadly ‘ghost gear’ fishing lines recovered from entangled seals and wildlife around Pelican Point, Namibia.
Waterhaul, which specialise in recycling plastic waste and fishing nets from the ocean into functional products, have teamed up with OCN to launch a fundraising campaign.
They Cornish social enterprise are transforming this marine-endangering waste into 100 pairs of limited-edition sunglasses, which are being sold to drive funding - with £50 from each sale donated to OCN.
Ghost Gear (lost or discarded plastic fishing nets, ropes and lines) kills more than 100,000 marine animals every year. OCN are tackling this problem hands-on, by catching and freeing seals and other wildlife from their plastic entrapments.
Over the past two years, over 1600 seals have been saved, and Ocean Conversation Namibia’s dramatic rescue videos have gained an online following, amassing over 185 million YouTube views.
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Ocean Conservation Namibia was founded by Naude Dreyer, a former kayaking guide at Cape Fur Seal colony, Namibia.
He rescued his first entangled seal 7 years ago, managing to catch it and free it of a discarded fishing net.
Naude said: "Ocean debris has become a major issue, and our very playful seals will try and play with anything they can find, often getting themselves stuck in plastic wrapping, clothing, discarded fishing line, old rusty paint bucket rings or anything else that might resemble a toy."
Each pair of sunglasses will arrive with a signed thank-you card from Naude Dreyer, which includes a QR code, leading customers to a video explaining the story behind OCN’s rescue process, and the Rescue to Recycle campaign.
Harry Dennis, Waterhaul CEO, said: "We’ve always been big fans of Ocean Conservation Namibia and the incredible work that they do.
"We actually got in touch when one of our customers tagged us in Ocean Conservation Namibia’s rescue videos on social media, and Naude responded.
"We began thinking up ways to combine our recycling background with their conservation efforts to maximise impact."
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