Will EcoNazis attack soft plastics in NY?

[Roccus7]

This email from Maine IF&W that I received today looks very ominous for soft plastics!! Hope other states are successfully fighting this off!!

We want to hear from you​

The popularity of soft plastic fishing lures has grown over the last two decades. Consequently, soft plastic lures have ended up in Maine’s waters and land intentionally due to improper disposal and inadvertently due to loss while fishing.

The occurrence of soft plastic lures in fish stomachs, due to feeding on lost and discarded lures in Maine waters, has recently raised public concerns discussed in the Maine legislature. In response, the Department is initiating an educational and awareness campaign to encourage proper use and disposal of soft plastic lures, and therefor reduce their occurrence in Maine waters.

This survey will help the Department plan and measure the effectiveness of the upcoming outreach campaign and will take about five minutes to complete. The results and answers will not be used to change policies regarding soft plastic lures.

All anglers who fish Maine’s inland waters are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey will be open until 11:59 pm on April 12, 2021.

​

We thank you in advance for your time and effort to help conserve Maine’s fisheries.​

 

[BennyV]

This email from Maine IF&W that I received today looks very ominous for soft plastics!! Hope other states are successfully fighting this off!!

We want to hear from you​

The popularity of soft plastic fishing lures has grown over the last two decades. Consequently, soft plastic lures have ended up in Maine’s waters and land intentionally due to improper disposal and inadvertently due to loss while fishing.

The occurrence of soft plastic lures in fish stomachs, due to feeding on lost and discarded lures in Maine waters, has recently raised public concerns discussed in the Maine legislature. In response, the Department is initiating an educational and awareness campaign to encourage proper use and disposal of soft plastic lures, and therefor reduce their occurrence in Maine waters.

This survey will help the Department plan and measure the effectiveness of the upcoming outreach campaign and will take about five minutes to complete. The results and answers will not be used to change policies regarding soft plastic lures.

All anglers who fish Maine’s inland waters are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey will be open until 11:59 pm on April 12, 2021.

​

​

We thank you in advance for your time and effort to help conserve Maine’s fisheries.​

I was waiting for this. This is going to get rolled out to probably every state within the next few months.

 

[BoatGuy]

Let me ask a question I do not know the answer to.....

I understand that soft plastic grubs are made from a variety of synthetic polymers that are not digestible by fish.

Are GULP, Z-Man DoormatadorZ Grub Soft Bait and similar are digestible?

 

[BennyV]

Let me ask a question I do not know the answer to.....

I understand that soft plastic grubs are made from a variety of synthetic polymers that are not digestible by fish.

Are GULP, Z-Man DoormatadorZ Grub Soft Bait and similar are digestible?

I believe gulp is made of a water soluble “material”. I wonder if it is digestible for fish though. I’ve seen them come up bitten in half or with tales missing countless times.

 

[pequa1]

I don't use bait and haven't gut hooked a fish in recent memory, sticking to Gulp tipped leadhead jigs. They already all but outlawed split shot and J hooks for bait. Next !

 

[BennyV]

I don't use bait and haven't gut hooked a fish in recent memory, sticking to Gulp tipped leadhead jigs. They already all but outlawed split shot and J hooks for bait. Next !

Next is fishing line. Then fishing poles. Then fishing in general.

 

[pequa1]

Sharp points ! Its for the fishies...

 

[BoatGuy]

I believe gulp is made of a water soluble “material”. I wonder if it is digestible for fish though. I’ve seen them come up bitten in half or with tales missing countless times.

I guess my point is that if soft plastic grubs are made from indigestible synthetic polymers and there are alternatives, a switch might be something to consider. Better for the fish and environment.

I have to write Gulp (Berkley?) and ask if Gulp is digestible.

 

[pequa1]

Come back to us quickly before we restock with these "poisons!"
Except for a tub or two of clam bellies I haven't even bought real bait since 2004 or 2005 !

 

[BennyV]

I guess my point is that if soft plastic grubs are made from indigestible synthetic polymers and there are alternatives, a switch might be something to consider. Better for the fish and environment.

I have to write Gulp (Berkley?) and ask if Gulp is digestible.

Makes total sense to me. Let us know.

 

[BoatGuy]

Makes total sense to me. Let us know.

I emailed this:

Hello: I have a question regarding this post:

Will EcoNazis attack soft plastics in NY?

This email from Maine IF&W that I received today looks very ominous for soft plastics!! Hope other states are successfully fighting this off!! We want to hear from you The popularity of soft plastic fishing lures has grown over the last two decades. Consequently, soft plastic lures...

nyangler.com

This is the gist of it:
“The popularity of soft plastic fishing lures has grown over the last two decades. Consequently, soft plastic lures have ended up in Maine’s waters and land intentionally due to improper disposal and inadvertently due to loss while fishing."

"The occurrence of soft plastic lures in fish stomachs, due to feeding on lost and discarded lures in Maine waters, has recently raised public concerns discussed in the Maine legislature. In response, the Department is initiating an educational and awareness campaign to encourage proper use and disposal of soft plastic lures, and therefor reduce their occurrence in Maine waters.”

My questions are regarding GULP. Since most of the inexpensive grubs sold are usually made of soft plastic and are made from indigestible synthetic polymers. This is bad for the fish and the environment.

So two questions come to mind:
1) Is GULP digestible by fish? This can be a concern when a fish bites off part of the offering, usually the tail.
From the internet I saw this: Standard soft plastic baits (worms, lizards, craws, etc.) are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the same material used to make pipes and other items. To make a soft plastic bait out of PVC, the material must be heated up and combined with an oil-based resin. The more oil-based resin added to the PVC, the softer the bait will be. This is how Berkley PowerBait is made..” After reading that I am not sure they will be digested. Depending on the size of the bait swallowed, a GULP may not be easily passed by the fish. I have seen pictures of fish died when bait swallowed could not be passed.

2) The second question is regarding the environment. If a piece of GULP falls off the hook or is discarded, how long does it last in the environment? How long before it completely broken down?

A reply is requested. I will post your reply at the site. Thank you.

If I get a reply, I will post it here. If you have other questions and concerns, feel free to contact Berkley for a reply.

 

[BoatGuy]

Come back to us quickly before we restock with these "poisons!"
Except for a tub or two of clam bellies I haven't even bought real bait since 2004 or 2005 !

This is interesting. If GULP proves to be indigestable and is resistant to decomposition, Will we ask fisherman be willing to change? Retorical question as every fisherman will have a differnt answer.

 

[pequa1]

I am not using any stinking bait, especially not on my kayak. SWMBO wouldn't let me back in the house even if I came home with dinner !

 

[george]

I agree that this is concerning and could get traction with the PETA team behind it. But at the same time studies have already been done on this. My favorite line in that release

"The occurrence of soft plastic lures in fish stomachs, due to feeding on lost and discarded lures in Maine waters, has recently raised public concerns"

They will obviously be in a fish's stomach if it ate it. The question is does it kill the fish. I'm guessing these baits are being found in fish that have been killed and filleted. Obviously, if the fish was still on the feed then it was probably in good shape. Also, I've caught numerous fluke that had gulp in their stomach. It was usually one of mine.

Here are a few stats from Berkly on a study they did on Gulp. I think it would be a reach for any group to

About how long will a Gulp bait stay in the body of a fish when swallowed?​

Through the years we have regularly fed our laboratory bass, bluegills, carp, and trout either PowerBait or Gulp softbaits. Our reasons for feeding the fish softbaits have varied but included the need to test the palatability of new formulas, to verify the safety of our softbait products on fish, to test softbait actions or other attributes, and to demonstrate product effectiveness during customer or consumer shows. The fish were fed whole baits and/or baits cut into small pieces, either as a single feeding, or repeated feedings over some period of time. In most instances, the fish were fed more Gulp or PowerBait than they ever would normally encounter in the wild. Since these fish were kept in glass aquaria or other holding tanks where they could be readily observed, monitoring the health of the fish used in these instances was relatively easy. At no time have we ever witnessed any fish exhibit any difficulty in ridding itself of its ingested softbait(s). Small pieces of bait are almost invariably sent through the digestive tract to be expelled within a few days. Larger pieces may be either regurgitated (i.e. vomited), normally within a few hours to a couple of days, or sent through the digestive tract. In the latter cases, the bait is normally defecated anywhere from a few days to 1-2 weeks. The larger and more complicated the bait, the longer it takes for passage through the digestive tract. In one instance, a bass inadvertently took a softbait attached to a whole bass jig (thankfully with the hook bent over). The bass safely regurgitated the bait – complete with the jig – about 3 weeks later. Recently, we measured just how long it takes for bass and other fish to expel softbaits. In all, we ran four experiments, two on largemouth bass and two on bluegills. In each case we fed the fish whole baits and then observed how long it took the fish to expel the baits, either through regurgitation or defecation. The fish and bait combinations were as follows: Experiment 1: 20 largemouth bass, each fed one 4” Gulp Earthworm Experiment 2: 13 largemouth bass, each fed one 6” Gulp Nightcrawler Experiment 3: 13 bluegills, each fed 1-5 Gulp Maggots (about 1 cm each) Experiment 4: 13 bluegills, each fed one 4” Gulp Earthworm For full results of the experiments and details of how each fish ultimately released its bait and the time frame needed for expulsion see the Fact Boxes. There were only two cases where it took longer than 11 days to recover the baits.

It took these fish 25 and 24 days, respectively, to expel their baits for the last time. In both cases, bait retention was unexpectedly prolonged due to the tendency of each fish to re-consume its Gulp bait once defecated. Both fish probably first defecated their baits in less than 10 days.

 

[pequa1]

Of course the "greenies" will not even read anything put out by the manufacturer of the product...

 

[Roccus7]

@george Maine has another vocal crowd, the "Loonies". God forbid someone finds a soft plastic bait during a necropsy of a dead loon. They'd be clamoring for an outright ban overnight.