Ontario Out of Doors

[Jds63]

I just read a very interesting article in this months issue of Ontario Out Of Doors, regarding the amount of soft plastic baits being found in the bellies of Lake Trout and Brook trout (possibly other species)

 

It seems that the fish in the study had large amounts of un-digestable plastic baits in their bellies causing many of them to lose weight and eventually be susceptible to disease and predation.

 

I was under the impression that many plastics on the market quickly biodegrade but that does not seem to be the case. I actually have not been examining the stomach contents of the fish that I have eaten so this is surprising. I am not sure what bodies of water their research was done in however I am now more interested in seeing how many fish may be in this situation. I would suspect that heavily pressured lakes will contain more plastics than remote lakes.

 

The article goes on to explain that there is an estimated 20 million pounds of soft plastic baits lost each year in North American lakes and rivers.

 

How many of you have found plastic baits in the stomachs of the fish you have caught ?

Do you see this as a potential serious problem ?

[Roy]

If everything that say is biodegradable was really biodegradable, the earth's crust would be made up of a weird mix of Pampers and WD40.

[cram]

I have actually wondered about it....but 20 million pounds!?!?!?!?

[solopaddler]

Fish in the St. Lawrence are doubly screwed then.

 

First they're sedated from all the prozac being flushed into the water by depressed Quebecers, then BAM, they slurp down a nice juicy plastic worm and they're all blocked up.

 

Lethargic and irritable, not a good combination for fish.

 

 

 

 

[Twocoda]

Gummy Bears for Fish....who wants to invest???

 

Dont laugh ...ive actually tried it ...injected liquid spawn into a gummy bear....nope didnt catch a thing and wasted a perfectly good Gummy Bear

[mercman]

If everything that say is biodegradable was really biodegradable, the earth's crust would be made up of a weird mix of Pampers and WD40.

 

 

you always have the best answers

[mercman]

Gummy Bears for Fish....who wants to invest???

 

Dont laugh ...ive actually tried it ...injected liquid spawn into a gummy bear....nope didnt catch a thing and wasted a perfectly good Gummy Bear

 

 

The black ones last forever though.Never figured out why

[Roy]

The black ones last forever though.Never figured out why

 

That's cause the black ones are subbed out to Goodyear.

[Roy]

Cram, 20 million pounds is nothing. Jose alone always has a million pounds in his garage!

[jimmer]

I have found plastic in the belly of a lake trout from the Gooderham area. It was a 6" dinger.

[Terry]

Cram, 20 million pounds is nothing. Jose alone always has a million pounds in his garage!

 

LOL

 

that is true

[Cudz]

I caught a bunch of perch 2 years ago on jelly worms. Worked really well. Having said that, my PB bass was caught on a hotdog

[GBW]

I just read that too and that pic of the contents is crazy. did you look at the size of some of those things?!?!? I think all the brookie guys should be using bigger bait now too after reading that.

Edited January 28, 2011 by GBW

[Lunker Larry]

20 million lbs a year! I wonder if those figures are as accurate as the supposed tons and tons of led from split shot due to fishermen and hunters that was the scare a few years back. That was a farce.

Maybe a year of fishing with exlax will help them out

Keep smilin

Larry

[SmokestackLightnin]

Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

 

 

Your quote is fishing related, wasn't Dorfman's nickname flounder?

 

Or am I just stating the obvious.

[GBW]

the 20 Mil. a year has to be way off cause just think of how many years people have been using this type of bait with no study done.

[phiphntek]

Cram, 20 million pounds is nothing. Jose alone always has a million pounds in his garage!

I've been in his garage and you are correct.More plastic than Joan Rivers.

[bigugli]

The extreme volumes cited may not be so far fetched. How much soft plastic adorns the walls of your local tackle shop. Multiply that by every shop in North America. It adds up.

Another disturbing problem with some of the plastics is that some actually expand in water.

The fish cannot pass the larger baits through their system.

Every lost piece of plastic, just like every lost spoon, is still there.

[Roy]

Don't worry about it...those plastics are biodegradable and will fit right in there with the pampers and WD40 to form the new world's outer crust.

[danc]

99% of my Brookies are hooked like this. Nice and easy to release. Barbless to boot. I don't think that I've ever caught a Brookie on a plastic.

 

[lookinforwalleye]

Fish in the St. Lawrence are doubly screwed then.

 

First they're sedated from all the prozac being flushed into the water by depressed Quebecers, then BAM, they slurp down a nice juicy plastic worm and they're all blocked up.

 

Lethargic and irritable, not a good combination for fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[camillj]

Cant honestly say I have seen them in the belly of any fish I have eaten .. BUT ... I have caught many lakers which couched up three or four of(my) rainbow shiners ... and been snorkelling and found lots of half rotted plastics on completely rotted jigs .... so obviously the hooks dissolve faster than the plastics ... makes you think.

[scugpg]

Fish in the St. Lawrence are doubly screwed then.

 

First they're sedated from all the prozac being flushed into the water by depressed Quebecers, then BAM, they slurp down a nice juicy plastic worm and they're all blocked up.

 

Lethargic and irritable, not a good combination for fish.

 

 

 

 

 

LOL funny but the more I read about these things I only consider eating fish from inland lakes and ponds isolated from heavy runoffs or pollution plants.