Investigation the effects of antifouling process applied on fish nets produced from different raw materials

In this study it is aimed to treat nets from various raw materials used in aqua culture with identical dyes and then determine the relationship between antifouling agent and raw materials via in situ experiments in the marine environment. For this purpose, the cage nets which are commonly used produced from three different raw materials and two different antifouling paints based on copper were supplied from the manufacturers. In addition, an environmentally friendly copper-free antifouling dye produced by us in the laboratory and used in the experiments. In the experimental part of the study raw material analysis and structural analysis (fabric analysis) of nets were carried out. Then, antifouling dyes were applied to the nets by dip plating method and the nets were immersed in the marine ecosystem nearby a fish farm for six months. During this period, the temporal fouling levels were observed periodically by taking photographs of the nets. After field study, the foulings accumulated on the nets were examined, samples were removed from the sea and then nets were cleaned. Changes in weight and strength of the nets before and after field study were also investigated. In this study, the nets produced from three different raw materials were treated with three different antifouling dyes and the effects of both raw material and antifouling dye type on the fouling of the cage nets were determined. As a result, it is seen that the environmentally friendly antifouling paint produced by us is as effective as copper containing paints in all raw material types. In addition, it was found that the type of raw material was not significant for the temporal fouling levels for all dyes, however it was found that the type of raw material is effective in the add-on and causes change in the net weights. The results are expected to inspire producers and lead to following studies about both choice of antifouling agents and raw materials. For sustainable aquaculture, the future studies should be predicated on the use of environmentally friendly antifouling agents and high strength raw materials for nets to decrease the biological fouling.