A biopolymer intended (initially) as a replacement for PVC (plastisol) in the creation of soft plastic fishing baits.
The composition and manufacture of a biodegradable, edible, soft fishing bait that is both commercially viable and accessible to the home hobbyist, that is digestible, compostable, will breakdown in the water system, and reduce harm to the fish and ecosystem is being investigated. The composition should be sufficiently durable, be easily stored and handled by anglers onshore and offshore, be sufficiently heat tolerant and stand up to reasonable use in water. The manufacturing process should be such that both commercial operations and hobbyist can create baits with ease, using typical injection and hand pouring methods.
Since their introduction in the 1950's, soft plastic baits made from PVC have dominated the fishing industry. In a survey released in 2013, the U.S. recreational fishing industry generated $47.7 billion in retail sales for all types of fishing, and if PVC baits are the dominant lure used in sport fishing, one can only imagine how many tons of PVC plastic is deposited into the environment, and landfill each year. As every angler knows, soft plastic baits wear out quickly with use, often times needing to be replaced with each caught fish, or ultimately being lost to snags, being bitten off or simply falling off the hook. Furthermore, PVC baits will go stale over time, if not stored properly, leading to many baits being diverted to landfill after each season ends.
With the cost of the average 10 count bag of PVC baits ranging from $5 to $10 (50¢ - $1 per bait), and the average bag of baits lasting for 1 or two outings, the accumulative cost for the avid angler can reach upwards of $500. This could also amount to 5 kg of PVC plastics per year left in our waterways, in the fish's digestive tract, or in landfill. If we multiply that number against the 33 million U.S. recreational anglers in 2012, then we could be faced with 165,000 US tons being deposited in the environment annually. Or quite possibly 11.5 million US tons since their introduction in the 50's. This is in the U.S. alone. These are just crude estimations, but you can quickly see how the simple little senko may not be as harmless as we once thought.
Soft plastic baits are made of plastisol, a suspension of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in a liquid plasticizer. The process of making PVC-based soft baits is dangerous, with the fumes of the PVC heated to 300°F being toxic, and the risks of personal injury when handling molten plastics for the purpose of hand-injection into heated bait molds. The hobbyist bait maker cannot simply create his own plastisol from home ingredients and setup required to use manufactured plastisol (proper ventilation and protective gear) makes the barrier to entry high.
The goal of this investigation is to provide a more environmentally friendly soft bait alternative to PVC plastics, using only ingredients that are readily available in the home kitchen. The home hobbyist should be able to create this composition safely and with ease and be able to work with the material in a similar manner and with similar molds and injectors as to the ones they may already use today. An added benefit would be to produce a compound that can be molded at lower temperatures, allowing the use of 3D printed molds without fear of melting said molds.
The resulting compound and soft baits should be easily broken down by natural processes such as digestion, disintegration, composting, and dissolution in water. The aim would be to have a bait that is sufficiently heat resistant as to stand up to normal use in summer. The bait should be sufficiently durable as to withstand the rigors of hooking, casting and fighting fish, so that at least one fish can be caught per bait or such that a bait can last for a reasonable period of time while trying to attract a fish to bite.
The resulting manufacturing and raw material costs should be such that each manufactured bait would be of low enough cost as to justify any loss in durability of the final product.
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