October 8, 2020 — From bibs into bags, a Maine company is recycling the heavy-duty rubber bibs worn by fishermen into a line of products.
“I want to find a way, and these bibs might be the way to connect people to this industry,” Rugged Seas co-owner Taylor Strout said.
Strout and his wife Nikki Strout have known the fishing industry their entire lives.
“I wanted to create a product that when people came, and they visited the coast of Maine, that they could not only take something home with them, but leave something for the fishermen too,” Taylor Strout said.
Through their company, Rugged Seas, the Strouts make a line of merchandise that includes tote bags, backpacks, wallets and clothing.
Nearly all of them are made from discarded rubber bibs donated by fishermen.