Environmental impact of surf fishing

[Andre1979]

Howdy, fellow fishermen!
I am not such a great environmentalist and Greenpeace supporter, but even I wonder, what happens with all the sinkers that snap-off during my amateur casts, and also all the line that sometimes is impossible to retrieve and is left over in the ocean? I read somewhere that a fishing line might take up to 50 years to desintegrate, so I don't leave any on the beach after taking care of a vicious birdnest with a sharp object. There is nothing I can do about the sinkers, and I personally lost at least 750 grams of lead in my 4 trips to the ocean.
What's your opinion about the whole matter? Do you think that after a 100 years or so one could set up an off-shore lead mining business in the areas frequented by surf fishermen?

 

[Mangi]

This might sound a little stupid, but do you use a leader? Just that little bit of thicker line will save you and the ocean kilograms of lead! I'm not saying you'll never throw another sinker into the deep blue sea, but FAR less.

Like they say, every little bit helps.

 

[Mangi]

As for the line. Use a grapnel sinker where you can. I've pulled kilometers of line out of the ocean while reeling in! LOL!

 

[AndriesH]

A while ago some Sealiners started a project refferred to as The Black Pearl.

Adding to your kit a black bag and cleaning up your fishing area.

1st - it doesn't answer your question, but it does address the issue and
2nd - to give a little more than one gets normally results in recieving a little more than one expects.

Maybe some of the greenies like Critter can give us a little scientific explanation of what actually does happen below the water surface.
(You're on Critter)

 

[Dingleberry]

What is quite inetersting is that as a spearo, I have seen how sinkers and spoons accumulate on shallow reefs. Not scattered all over the place as one would think, they seem to get washed into potholes and one can have great fun collecting them when the water is clear.

 

[Hooch]

AndriesH wrote:

A while ago some Sealiners started a project refferred to as The Black Pearl.

Adding to your kit a black bag and cleaning up your fishing area.

1st - it doesn't answer your question, but it does address the issue and
2nd - to give a little more than one gets normally results in recieving a little more than one expects.

Maybe some of the greenies like Critter can give us a little scientific explanation of what actually does happen below the water surface.
(You're on Critter)

That a stunning Idea that Andries.

To get back to the litter of the Ocean via line etc. Now in Moz we had a fair amount of lines snap, broken of on the bricks etc. With your very second cast, using a grapnel, all our broken of lines etc were recovered and removed from the ocean. If you are fishing from the beach, this can easily be done using a grapnel as suggested above. We even recovered some of our lines from the bricks. So its do able and not imposible.

 

[Andre1979]

Mangi: actually, you are absolutely 100% spot on right, about using thicker line for a leader. I started doing that eventually, and nothing snapped anymore. But some sinkers were still lost when stuck in the rocks, etc.
AndriesH: what a great project! More fishermen should join. That would surely make the beaches a little bit cleaner.

 

[AndriesH]

About the thicker line:
When fishing on a coarse bottom like gravel, you may also find that the loop around the sinker eye wears through. Here, just use a piece of string e.g. thickish post office string, and make a 5cm loop to the sinker and tie your line to the string.
Works like magic to prevent the nylon from wearing through.

 

[Andre Laas]

Eish Andries, You putting me on the spot here!!!!

  First off, although I am a biologist, I am not and extreme greeny! That even just sounds wrong. I do care for the environment a lot, but I also know that to some extend the environment has the amazing ability to repair our interferences to a large degree, although there are limits.

Talking about lines etc, strictly below water. Yes, it will probably take 50 years plus to disintegrate, if not more. However, many an angler would have noticed that the sea likes to roll any loose string/line/rope into a neat little ball, which soon becomes covered by all sorts of marine life. Even lines snagged over rocks and between muscles etc will eventually form an indistinguishable part of the ocean floor. I do not have too much knowledge on whether and to what ext end chemicals can leach from nylon, but I do not think is it much. Take note here, I am not saying take all your old line, bundle it up and put it in the sea!!!! I am merely stating that I do not think that you should lay awake at night about the piece of line that broke off and that you cannot recover and properly dispose of. The lines do often cause damage to some marine life, but I do not think that it is irreparable. I could not find proof on the degree that marine life will settle on monofilament, or how fast, so I am stating personal observation.

In terms of the lead, I have mentioned previously that there are probably worse sources of lead contamination than solid sinkers will ever have. Sinkers also tend to settle in cracks and crevices in rocks and become overgrown with time, which in my opinion should reduce the surface area available for leaching. Like I said, I think this type of leaching will be slow, and I am yet to see a lead sinker dissolve!

My feeling is to a large degree that the general angling public, and the guys that is passionate enough about the sport to spend time on sites like sealine etc are not even a “drop in the ocean” when it comes to doing harm to the environment. Although we should also be accountable for our actions, and how we treat our natural resources, most of us are fishing mainly as a result of our passion for being outside, exploring and enjoying nature and all she has to offer. I do not think we are killing the ocean with our rods and reels!

Like I said, these are mostly my opinions, and my opinions have caused controversy in “conservation” debates.

 

 

[AndriesH]

Thanks Critter - you did well in the spotlight.
Your reasoning on leaching lead has merrit.
E.G.
If a ship sinks, it rusts over time and the iron in it's hull will not have a distinguishable effect on the area other than becoming a form of artificial reef.
Iron chellate, however, is a compound that releases the free iron ion into the water and has an immediate effect that causes enourmous algal blooms that can physically be observed within days.

Should the lead we are concerned with, be in a chemical bond where it could be released as a free ion, then I think the cr@p is in the water.

 

[Andre Laas]

Yip!

But I think for lead to really become a problem in terms of leaching etc, the pH will have to decrease quite a bit. That is one of the worries on inland water bodies that has high metal levels in the sediments. With pH at neutral and higher values, the heavy metals tend not to leach into the water column. But now with acid rain and acid mine drainage etc. pH levels are decreasing, and there are fears that it may reach a point where the metals in the sediments will disperse into our water....

Would have been nice to have input from some-one with more chemistry knowledge.... I can ID bugs, and dissassemble all sorts of animals, but chemistry..... eish, that is only between me and the missus!:merm

 

 

[neilg]

With the current cost of sinkers ANGLERS will all become divers AND CLEAN THE OCEAN THEMSELVES.
You get stuck you put on ya wetsuit, grab the mask, snorkel and fins and go and get it da hell back.
How much does that trace cost you ?
R18 for sinker
R5 for barrel swivel
R10 for Fluorocarbon
R 40 for hooks
R 10 for coated wire
R 30 for non return slide

That's a total of R 113 for that trace

 

Now where's me flippers ...:merm

 

[Mangi]

Very true neilg!  Only problem is the monsters lurking in the deep false bay waters...:ssswim:

Now I hear you ask: Mangi, are you scared?  And I will scream "YES!" (In my little girl voice!)

 

[AndriesH]

Neilg - I'd rather not swim there where I sometimes loose my traces.
There's good reason why I cast there to start with
he he he he:ssswim:

 

[Mangi]

Great minds think alike!

And fools never differ.

 

[AndriesH]

neilg wrote:

You get stuck you put on ya wetsuit, grab the mask, snorkel and fins and go and get it da hell back.
That's a total of R 113 for that trace

We used to do this around The Willows & Schoenmakerskop, Noordhoek & Blou Gat when we collected Allikreukels & Perlemoen. (Many moons ago)

It gets fun when you stick a small Octo in your vest as well and they add a nice flavour to the potjie.

 

[Andre1979]

Thank you everyone for your input! It just confirmed my thoughts, that the ocean can take care of the sinkers, lines, rods, sea vessels, etc. should they be lost in the waters. I remember watching a documentary years ago (either BBC or Custeau), where they followed a little sea turtle from the moment it hatched. There was a current in the open seas, and that current was carrying loads of rubbish. Plastic bottles, fishing line, you name it. Well, the little sea critters used all that to their advantage when hiding from the predators. And actually everything worked like a charm. Nature can and will adapt to the changing environment, it proved that many times over the past few millions of years.
And i would also join the club of "I am too scared to dive for my lost sinker, and not ashamed of it". Firstly because the water is dark and cold, and secondly i also don't want to meet with the nature's representatives - Mr. and Mrs. Sharks.

 

[yacoob]

guy guys

i do have a question though, maybe the divers can answer it............. i always thought that all the line that gets left behind eventually creates some kind of barrier (net) if u like, that kinda lessens the area for the fish to come closer to the shore, hence less fish at places like strandfontein and bailey's than previously. am i just plain stupid...... or is there any merit to that theory?

 

 

[boo]

yacoob wrote:

guy guys

i do have a question though, maybe the divers can answer it............. i always thought that all the line that gets left behind eventually creates some kind of barrier (net) if u like, that kinda lessens the area for the fish to come closer to the shore, hence less fish at places like strandfontein and bailey's than previously. am i just plain stupid...... or is there any merit to that theory?

 

no i do dive and normally find lead with no line on often wonder were the line is . I don't know if the line wash out or just become part of the reef but if i think of all the lead we normally find there is very little line visible  

 

[yacoob]

boo

is there ANY possibility of you or any other divers posting some pix of what it looks like under there, for us mere mortals who doesn't dive???????????????????

                                      PLEASE   

 I've always wondered what it looks like out there where we cast