Ghost Net Bracelet

Description

Handcrafted Ghost Net Bracelets

ORP’s colourful ghost net bracelets are made entirely out of recycled ghost gear recovered from the Indian Ocean. Ghost gear is lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets that drift in our oceans. Every year, ghost nets kill thousands of marine creatures.

The bracelets currently in store are handcrafted by artisans of Abdul Rehman Goth in Pakistan, a fishing village near Karachi. Climate change, industrial fishing and over-fishing strongly affect this fishing community. ORP is working on ways to reuse ghost gear recovered in the area to provide an alternative income for the community. So far, volunteers have recovered 3.5 tons of ghost gear from the sea near the village! The recovered ghost gear is stored in a specially built hut, constructed entirely out of recycled plastic bottles.

Whilst the men of the village may travel far away for work, the women are more restricted in terms of mobility due to lack of public transport. The design and sale of ghost net bracelets provide local work and can be a significant addition to the household income of a fisher family.

All the proceeds from ORP’s ghost net bracelet sales go back to village of Abdul Rehman Goth: 35% is paid directly to the artisan who created the bracelet; the rest goes into a community fund set up a improve the fishing community’s livelihood. A particular concern for the village is women’s healthcare; the nearest medical clinic is ten kilometer away. The first goal is to establish a basic health clinic in the village to improve healthcare for the fisher families of Abdul Rehman Goth.