This post is one of a series on projects supported by the Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF). Through MCAF, the Aquarium supports researchers, conservationists and grassroots organizations all around the world as they work to address the most challenging problems facing the ocean.

Guest bloggers Ben Kneppers and David Stover, of Bureo Skateboards, recently shared an update:


If you have kept up on the Global Explorers Blog, you may recall coverage on Net Positiva, our [Bureo] fishing net recycling program in Chile. We launched this program in 2013, and received critical support early on from the Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund to support infrastructure to collect fishing nets in local communities in order to recycle and repurpose the nets. 

Following a successful release of our first product, the recycled fishing net cruiser skateboards, we received an investment from Patagonia’s $20 Million & Change fund, targeted at developing projects using business to bring about solutions to the environmental crisis. Our team returned to Chile in mid-2014 to expand the recycling initiative and incorporate social programs in local communities. During the latter half of 2014, the operations in Chile collected more than 7,000 kg of fishing nets for recycling and trained local workers to take on the roles of cleaning and managing the net collection.

Kevin Ahearn and Ben Kneppers of Bureo (center) with Orlando and Ariel of Concepcion, Chile, in front of the results from a net collection session.

In an aim to adopt a fair trade model, we are now working through an agreement with the fishing communities that provide incentives to return nets. This agreement has been signed by five fishing syndicates to date, committing them to proper disposal of fishing gear, in return for funds (100%) to support programs or resources that benefit the local community. To continue scaling up the efforts in Chile and abroad, we are currently promoting our boards and working hard on developing new innovative products.

In addition to our program in Chile, in November 2014 we were invited to attend the first meeting of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. World Animal Protection founded GGGI to form the first united effort of government, industry, NGOs and IGOs to create cleaner, safer oceans by creating solutions to the growing threat of ghost fishing gear (lost or abandoned fishing gear threatening the ocean environment). Supported by the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) global partnership on marine litter, the GGGI’s first roundtable brought together more than 40 global attendees for a 3-day intensive workshop.

Bureo’s Minnow skateboard

We were thankful to be able to connect with the various delegates from around the world, spanning from the Olive Ridley Project in the Maldives to the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Net Works project. It was a great platform for us to share our experiences in Chile and learn about the fishing practices and conservation work happening on a global scale, including existing recycling programs implemented by the Net Works and Aquafil teams.

Focused around team-based work sessions, the conference concluded with presentations from small teams that relayed our insights into next steps and prospective solutions for ghost gear in our oceans. It was inspiring to see all the progress made during the roundtable, with solutions focused around organized port side collection points, incentives to the fisherman, gear tracking through identification tags, recyclable materials in closed-loop system, stricter regulations and educational programs for the fisherman. We left GGGI confident that there is a tremendous group of individuals committed to making a difference for our oceans, and working together to ensure sustainable solutions for this global issue!


To find out more and stay up to date on our movements at Bureo, follow our journey on social media and through our website. www.bureoskateboards.com

Thanks to the efforts of three conservation entrepreneurs, a Minnow may help save the ocean. In this case, the Minnow is a fish-shaped skateboard made from recycled fishing nets by Bureo Skateboards.

The Minnow, as seen on the Bureo website

The Bureo team, David Stover, Ben Kneppers and Kevin Ahearn started this project in Chile to keep derelict or discarded fishing nets out of the water where they could entangle and kill countless marine animals. Instead of becoming deadly drifters in the ocean, these retired nets are being turned into a great new product, the profits of which can sustain the recycling program over the long term and raise awareness of marine debris worldwide.

The Net Positiva team observes artisanal fishermen at work off the coast of Concepcion, Chile. The team’s net collection and recycling program will help to keep large nets such as these from being discarded into the ocean. Photo: Kevin Ahearn

The New England Aquarium is proud to have helped launch this project with support from its Marine Conservation Action Fund and is thrilled to see that the huge success of Bureo’s “Net Positiva” program has now attracted a seed investment from Patagonia.

“Bureo is not your typical startup – they’ve invented an incredible recycling program by rallying the fishing industry in Chile to turn plastic ocean waste into a great product,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. “We’re investing in Bureo’s vision to scale their business to a global level and make a serious dent in the amount of plastic that gets thrown away in our oceans.”

Patagonia’s investment comes through its $20 Million & Change fund, which they launched in 2013 to help innovative, like-minded startups bring about solutions to the environmental crisis and other positive change through business. Or, in other words, to help entrepreneurs and innovators succeed in “working with nature rather than using it up.” Read more in Patagonia's media release.

Here's the Bureo Team with some quick thanks for the Aquarium’s support getting their project off the ground:



Congratulations to the Bureo Team on their well deserved recognition and support from Patagonia. We are looking forward to seeing this great idea spread across the globe!

This post is one of a series on projects supported by the Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF). Through MCAF, the Aquarium supports researchers, conservationists and grassroots organizations all around the world as they work to address the most challenging problems facing the ocean.

This skateboard, named “The Minnow,” has a deck made entirely of recycled fishing nets. The team that produced the skateboard visited the Aquarium earlier this month as part of a tour to raise awareness about their program. From left, David Stover, MCAF Manager Elizabeth Stephenson, Ben Kneppers, Kevin Ahearn and Aquarium Vice President of Conservation Heather Tausig.

Fishing gear that is lost or abandoned at sea, known as derelict gear, is a significant source of dangerous marine debris that entraps and kills untold numbers of marine species including sharks, whales, dolphins and seabirds. Working in Chile, a group of young social entrepreneurs is tackling this problem with an innovative and inspiring approach. Noting that the cost of disposing of old nets often leads to their being dumped in the ocean, Ben Kneppers and his partners, David Stover and Kevin Ahearn, set up collection sites in communities along the Chilean coast where fishermen can dispose of their retired nets for free.

This project, known as Net Positiva, was supported in part by the Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF) as well as the Chilean government, the World Wildlife Fund and in collaboration with Chilean fishermen. The Net Positiva team is taking their efforts one step further by recycling the nets into skateboards, sales of which will help sustain the collection program over the long term and provide employment for local community members. Ben, David and Kevin named their skateboard company Bureo, a word that comes from the language of the Mapuche, the native Chileans, and means the waves.

The Net Positiva team observes artisanal fishermen at work off the coast of Concepcion, Chile. The team’s net collection and recycling program will help to keep large nets such as these from being discarded into the ocean. Photo: Kevin Ahearn.

The founders note that the name, “selected in honor of the Chilean people, represents [our] mission. Just as a wave originates from a disturbance of wind along the ocean surface, Bureo is starting with a small change in an ocean of plastic. Through time and energy, the waves of Bureo will develop the force required to cause real change.”

You can read a Boston Globe article about Bureo here. You can find Bureo on Facebook and Kickstarter.