Are soft plastics toxic?

Leethal · #1 12-05-2004, 03:51 AM

with winter around the corner, and alot of people tying on more soft plastics, I've been wondering how toxic are these things to our river system?

I'll admit to having thrown a couple of chewed up ones overboard before but now i always put them into a rubbish bag and dispose of them in a bin after.

It made me think after seeing some being marketed as %100 biodegradable. I'd like to know what some of the cheaper unscented plastics are made from and how biodegradable are they, and how many chemicals do they leach into the water when they are thrown in...

With all of the talk about 2-stroke oil etc... going into the rivers I've not seen any talk about all of these plastics??

Any thoughts??

rigzz · #2 12-05-2004, 05:22 AM

Hi,
Some years ago there was quite some concern about chewed up SPs being discarded on US bass waters. The SPs aren't toxic per se but do tend to usually be non biodegradable. Some fish and birds that had eaten the discarded SPs died from stomach/intestinal blockages due to the fact that they aren't biodegradable ie. digestable. Consequently, chucking your 'dead' SPs into the drink isn't encouraged. On the rare occasions that I fish SPs I keep my 'chewed ups' in my pocket or backpack until I get home and then stick 'em in the bin. Probably best if most people do the same. (Not that I'm preaching)
Cheers,
Rigzz

Mattj · #3 12-05-2004, 05:29 AM

A similar thread came around some time ago asking what happens to the poor fishies that manage to chew off and swallow half a Sp??

I think you may have answered it Rigzz. Might open a can of worms on this one (3" worms that is).

Go the Hb's I say

Bluey · #4 13-05-2004, 07:11 AM

I must admit I have often wondered whether the soft plastics I use are damaging the very fish that I so carefully handle and release to fight another day.

Just did a search and found this site http://www.fslures.com/showandtell.asp?id=1507 which has now really got me thinking.

Are there any chemists out there who can comment as to whether Phthalates if used for softening PVC lures are toxic to fishers or fishes ?

#5 13-05-2004, 09:03 AM

Absolutely. Theres no doubt plastics are toxic. Theres a ton of evidence.
However, is a gram or so of plastic going to damage our rivers as much as the sewerage that enters them >?
I don't think so

BigFatBream · #6 13-05-2004, 10:37 AM

If everyone thought like you SoftBream i would be very concerned...

And about 100% biodegradable???? probably true but deceptive.... e.g. plastic bags and biodegradable it just takes 10000 years!!!!!

CHUNQX · #7 13-05-2004, 10:23 PM

Your plastics get chewed up??? Where do you fish? If only I had the problem of my plastics getting chewed up! Or just getting chewed at would be nice! Chew my plastics please.... I only throw my plastics away because they fall apart from the 1000s of casts and them sometimes snagging up and eventually losing grip on the jig..

Mim · #8 13-05-2004, 10:54 PM

I really do not think it is a problem if fish swallow a plastic, as they tend to regurgitate anything that is not pallitable, this includes jig heads, muscle shell and anything else they swallow that they cant digest.

As for the softies getting chewed up, well, over here in WA it is usually the blowies (puffer fish or toadies) that tear them into bits, and if they were to suffer from this I personally wouldn't care too much, as there are too many of theme here and they are a lot more aggressive than their Eastern States versions.

Just my thoughts

Mim

Leethal · #9 14-05-2004, 12:55 AM

Unfortunatley CHUNQX they don't get chewed up by as many bream as i'd like, but lately i've been getting busted up by heaps of good sized skippy (37-40cm average) on the murray reefs out from mandurah.

After only one or two of those a 3" powerbait looks a bit secondhand so i have to change it.

Ceratainly after reading about the chemicals that go into making them, they don't go overboard!

Leethal · #10 14-05-2004, 01:00 AM

As for the blowies...

I won't go near the river with plastics during summer. I don't have that much spare cash to pay for all of the tails that get bitten off my plastics.

And the Ba@#$^ds keep chasing them without tails as well!!

CHUNQX · #11 14-05-2004, 01:07 AM

Which reminds me, the first fish I ever caught on a soft plastic is a footy sized blowfish, the spiky kind and jaw plates that mangled my hook!

Bluey · #12 15-05-2004, 10:02 PM

That's a good point Mim about fish regurgitating hard objects such as jig-heads but I wonder whether they have any way of telling that a plastic tail is not digestible ?

After all, a nice soft textured bite-size morsel of soft plastic, lightly salted, with a hint of garlic or aniseed, and an exquisite feel in the mouth must be irresistable to a fish ... in fact .... I am almost tempted myself ..... now where did I put that fresh pack of Squidgies ???

Gotta go, regards, Bluey.