From making a living to saving lives: spent fishing nets are snaring Russian drones in Ukraine

Fishing nets repurposed for Ukraine are being used as improvised protection against Russian drone attacks, turning discarded maritime gear into a lifesaving defense tool. The approach emerged from lessons learned by Eric Klose, founder of Boston-based impact-first investor Ground Squirrel Ventures, during a visit to Ukraine last year. Klose said nets can cover hundreds of miles of roadway near the front line and are draped over trees and over trenches and damaged buildings, while soldiers also cut some gill nets into lightweight strips for emergency coverage. Ground Squirrel Ventures worked with Net Your Problem, an Alaska net-recycling group with a warehouse in New Bedford, to prepare and ship containers. A first shipment departed New Bedford in December and arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday, July 15, with another planned from Seattle this month. Nets must be stripped of floats, chains, and rubber, and sorted by mesh size.