NetKem's copper-based net impregnations are approved under the BPR – the EU Chemical Regulation. That means you can be confident the products have been thoroughly evaluated and assessed safe — for humans, fish and the environment.
For four decades, copper-based net impregnation has been one of the most effective tools the aquaculture industry has had to prevent fouling on farming nets. Did you know that all copper in net impregnations is recycled, and that when the net is retired the copper can be reused?
Net impregnation uses copper oxide — a harmless form of copper. The impregnation creates a protective shield around the netting. In contact with seawater, copper ions begin to leach out — this is what prevents fouling.
Copper in ion form is highly reactive. Which is why it works against fouling. But this same property means the ions are quickly — and within a fraction of a millimetre from the netting — converted into other, non-active compounds.
Copper occurs naturally in seawater — making it nearly impossible to distinguish copper from net impregnation from natural copper. Beneath the net, in the sediments, the bioavailability of copper is sharply reduced: insoluble sulphide compounds form and the copper is "deactivated".
In general terms, the vast majority of net particles that end up on the seabed come from high-pressure washing. Any cleaning should therefore be done as gently as possible — and that applies to all impregnation types.
Each choice has consequences. Here's an honest comparison.
Well-documented and proven. BPR-approved. Lowest environmental and HSE burden of available alternatives.
Less documentation. Uncertainty around environmental effects, fish health and long-term consequences.
Frequent washing. High operating costs, lower growth, stressed fish and increased microplastic in the sea.
Despite intensive efforts to find alternatives, copper oxide remains the impregnation method with the lowest environmental and HSE burden. Used correctly, copper-based impregnation is the best-documented — and safest — option.
It's time to separate fiction from fact.
We've gathered the most common questions and answers about how copper works, its safety and environmental effects on a dedicated FAQ page.