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Soft plastic in snapper guts


funnierthanu

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Travelled up the coast to Crowdy Head for the long weekend . Wanted to go snapper fishing but after talking to the locals they all said the water was too cold at 16 degrees and wernt they correct . Fished for 4 hrs the first day with only 1 snapper but it was a good one tipping the scales at 7.5kgs.We cleaned the fish and it had 2 mados inside it .I always look at the guts of the fish i catch .The only burly we found inside it was the prawn shell for christmas that i threw over board .The 3 blocks of pilchards were no where to be seen .Got her on a floating pilly post-9468-025306700 1349075555_thumb.jpg

Day 2 was a little better weather wise but only 1 red .Burly was again pillies and some garfish .This time the fish had a garfish head and a soft plastic with no sign of the hook .Does anyone know how long this would stay inside a fish before it breaks down post-9468-088456400 1349075527_thumb.jpg Again got it on a floating pilly . We then had a drift for some flatties

It was a poor weekend but i thing it was dur to the cold water .

post-9468-075109100 1349075400_thumb.jpg

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It's really an interesting thought in regards to that nuclear chicken in the snappers guts, we don't know how long it's been in there so it's hard to get a defenite on any sort of theory. The plastic itself dosnt look far off its original shape and colour, so I'm guessing it hasn't been in there long seeing as gulp are supposed to be biodegradable. 2 questions I'm asking myself are:

Will the plastic break down in the fishes guts? Or will it pass the plastic as it is?

Fishingphase

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quick google produced this:

Weight Loss

Fish will ingest loose lures and lures that break off hooks. The larger lures become lodged in the stomach and will not pass. Ingestion of these lures causes weight loss in the fish and decreases the odds of long-term survival. The fish will eat less to the loss of stomach space and will in turn lose energy and mass to carry through the winter. Ingestion of numerous lures may also clog the stomach passage and starve the fish.

Passing

Small lures may pass through the intestinal tract and drop to the bottom of the lake or river. The smaller lures and chunks of lures may also be regurgitated by the fish. Lures that pass through the fish remain as an environmental issue as they slowly decompose in the water. Passing allows the fish to continue as normal but does have a negative impact on the fishery by depositing plastic litter in the water.

Chemical Absorbtion

Plastic lures are formed by chemical reactions, and several chemicals are released as they decompose. The chemicals leach into the fish and the surrounding environment and will enter the human population through consumption of the fish. Phthalates are cancer causing chemicals that are used in many plastic worms according to Fish Florida.org. The chemicals may also affect reproductive cycles in the fish.

Biodegradable Plastic Worms

Several companies are moving toward biodegradable worms with fewer harmful chemicals. The new worms are more likely to degrade and pass through the system of a fish and through the fishery with minimal impact. New-age plastic worms are also stiffer and are less likely to tear from the hook. Tearing is a common contributor to worms polluting fisheries.

Gulp are made from a fish protein so would be the safest plastic for the fish. I have been using Zman lures and they never get bitten off or ripped up. The packaging also states they are non toxic and do not contain PVC, plastisol or phthalates.

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The plastic has been on the bench in my garage since Monday and has now shrank to half the size , maybe the intestional juices had broken it down .

No they just do that... After a plastics session I used to chuck the used ones in the back of my ute, after a few days they shrunk and got smaller as time went on even more so to the point where it couldn't shrink any more.

Fishingphase

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Guys, in my opinion most of the plastic lures shrink because they loose moisture. Try to put them back in the water or after you wash them put them back inside of plastic bags with the liquid they came in and after 24 hours they should be back to normal size and ready for action again. That's my experience anyway.

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now its not the marine environment but,

i chucked some used gulps in my composter a couple of years ago, at least 2 years maybe more. the other day turning some dirt i found a slightly shrunken but still in reasonable condition gulp prawn.

im dubious on the green credentials of gulps.

maybe someone with a marine aquarium tank can do an experiment.

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That plastic looks pretty much the full size just the tail end missing therefore i assume the tail got bitten off and because that plastic had no more swimming action to it was replaced by that fisho and thrown back in the water. Boaties should always have a plastic bag in the boat for their rubbish and then thrown in bin at the ramp. I have seen fishing shows when their plastics are no good they cut them up in small pieces and burly with them. By the way, really nice quality eating fish caught there.

Edited by land of sponges
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That plastic looks pretty much the full size just the tail end missing therefore i assume the tail got bitten off and because that plastic had no more swimming action to it was replaced by that fisho and thrown back in the water. Boaties should always have a plastic bag in the boat for their rubbish and then thrown in bin at the ramp. I have seen fishing shows when their plastics are no good they cut them up in small pieces and burly with them. By the way, really nice quality eating fish caught there.

Yes mate ,it was tasty , the big red fed all the boys at cricket on sat arvo. :beersmile:

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How come why did you cut open the snappers guts in that way?

It looks like you are doing an autopsy for the camera.

Always do autopsy on every fish i catch , thats why i get so many , Anyway i was getting it ready to put straight on the barbie , so i cut off head and side fins before bbq , cheers

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