Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

Bottomgun · 09-14-2010, 05:37 AM

Hi Guys, I'm one of your lurker Cape Cod members that likes to read your stuff. This is the best surf fishing forum.

I'm in the marine biology biz and part of my job this past 40 years is to collect coastal sediments and fish tissue for toxicity analysis. All those 4 oz. lead weights and such accumulating on the bottom for decades dissolve into the sand and mud and the fish eggs and fry absorb the stuff, which kills, stunts, or sickens them during the fragile development stage, which means less fish in the long run for us, especially to eat. The dissolved lead really hits the mud worms, crabs, and other benthic infauna hard, which means much less natural food for the little fry and fish to feed on, especially in our estuaries where little flushing occurs.

So the fisheries scientists say the only way to stop the negative impact on our fisheries is to stop introducing lead into the environment. There have been tons of lead fishing weights lost within casting distance of our shorelines, so the lead poisoning of the water-seabed interface where all the little critters live is severe.

I'm only passing along this info so you guys don't feel so bad about springing extra bucks for non-lead wights when it happens. Think of it this way; if we stop losing (putting) lead on the bottom today, in a century or so, maybe your great-great grandkids will have some fish to catch. As you guys know, there used to be 125 pounder stripers all over the place 50-60 years ago. When I started surf fishing the Vineyard and Race Point in the '70s, 75 pounders were the big ones of the day. Nowadays, you guys and others talk about catching the 50 pounder. If we keep slamming the hatching critters with lead soup in their habitat, your great-great grandkids may be plugging for only 10-20 pounders.

We need to stop putting mercury in the water too, but that would require shutting down all our coal power plants, and that ain't going to happen anytime soon, but lead can be removed more easily which is why we're seeing the new legislation.

But don't let me get you down. Good fishing to you all.

09-14-2010, 05:37 AM	#20
Bottomgun Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 4	Hi Guys, I'm one of your lurker Cape Cod members that likes to read your stuff. This is the best surf fishing forum. I'm in the marine biology biz and part of my job this past 40 years is to collect coastal sediments and fish tissue for toxicity analysis. All those 4 oz. lead weights and such accumulating on the bottom for decades dissolve into the sand and mud and the fish eggs and fry absorb the stuff, which kills, stunts, or sickens them during the fragile development stage, which means less fish in the long run for us, especially to eat. The dissolved lead really hits the mud worms, crabs, and other benthic infauna hard, which means much less natural food for the little fry and fish to feed on, especially in our estuaries where little flushing occurs. So the fisheries scientists say the only way to stop the negative impact on our fisheries is to stop introducing lead into the environment. There have been tons of lead fishing weights lost within casting distance of our shorelines, so the lead poisoning of the water-seabed interface where all the little critters live is severe. I'm only passing along this info so you guys don't feel so bad about springing extra bucks for non-lead wights when it happens. Think of it this way; if we stop losing (putting) lead on the bottom today, in a century or so, maybe your great-great grandkids will have some fish to catch. As you guys know, there used to be 125 pounder stripers all over the place 50-60 years ago. When I started surf fishing the Vineyard and Race Point in the '70s, 75 pounders were the big ones of the day. Nowadays, you guys and others talk about catching the 50 pounder. If we keep slamming the hatching critters with lead soup in their habitat, your great-great grandkids may be plugging for only 10-20 pounders. We need to stop putting mercury in the water too, but that would require shutting down all our coal power plants, and that ain't going to happen anytime soon, but lead can be removed more easily which is why we're seeing the new legislation. But don't let me get you down. Good fishing to you all.