Biodegradable Fishing Line: A Potential Solution to a Serious Problem
We’ve all been to high-traffic lakes and rivers, where discarded fishing line is a common sight.
It coats trees, litters the ground and even serves as a hidden hazard in murky water. And while it looks terrible and ruins the picturesque landscapes in which most anglers love to fish, it presents an even greater threat: It maims and kills wildlife.
An Insidious Threat
Fishing line may seem like a relatively innocuous substance, but it represents a very real danger to the creatures living near the shoreline.
It often wraps around legs, tails and wings, where it can cut off circulation and kill the affected appendage. It can even cause nasty lacerations, as most anglers are already painfully aware.
Some animals may even ingest it inadvertently while feeding. This can include grass carp munching on submerged vegetation, turtles patrolling for wiggling creatures near the shoreline and wading birds, who attempt to eat frogs, fish and other small creatures who themselves may be trapped in loops of the nearly invisible line.
In almost all such cases, the line will fatally damage the animal’s internal organs, and cause plenty of suffering in the meantime.
These tragedies should obviously be prevented whenever possible, but in the 21st century, when an unprecedented number of wildlife species are experiencing population declines, it becomes critically important to do so.
A Long-Term Threat
The problem isn’t really that fishing line is dangerous – so are submerged sticks. The difference is, sticks break down into little more than a gloopy, crumbly mess within a few years.
Monofilament line, on the other hand, will stick around for about 600 years, give or take. That means all of the monofilament line ever discarded in any lake, river or ocean is still there, representing a menace to any and all who come too close.
But what if you could sidestep this problem by making a fishing line that breaks down in a fraction of this time?
For a while, it appeared as though one company had accomplished exactly this.
Real Solution or Step in the Right Direction?
A few years ago, Bioline, a Portland, Oregon-based company, began producing monofilament lines, leaders and tippets.
But unlike most other lines, the manufacturer explained that these lines were made from a combination of biodegradable polymers. Unlike the long-lasting materials used in typical monofilament lines, Bioline’s constituent materials would break down quickly and entirely.
And they were reportedly capable of doing so in a relatively short time span: Although the breakdown rate was said to vary based on the local temperatures and similar factors, Bioline was designed to dissolve completely in about 5 years.
It was also designed to perform as well as or better than traditional monofilament lines do.
But did it accomplish this rather lofty goal?
Unfortunately, most anglers who tried Bioline found that it came up a bit short in several respects.
Most reported that it felt stiffer than high-quality monofilament lines, and it wasn’t quite as clear as monofilament or fluorocarbon lines, which presented problems for those trying to catch line-shy fish.
It is also a little more expensive than traditional monofilament lines, although probably not enough to dissuade environmentally friendly anglers from giving it a try.
Nevertheless, Bioline represents a good first step in the world of eco-friendly angling technology. The first monofilament lines weren’t very good either, but with decades of development, they became quite impressive.
Unfortunately, Bioline is no longer being produced.
In 2017, Eagle Claw — the company who eventually purchased Bioline — stopped manufacturing the line, apparently due to concerns around the biodegradability claims. It remains to be seen who, if anyone, will step in to fill the market gap, especially given the growing awareness of plastic pollution. However, remnant spools can still be found.[Update!] Amazon no longer offered Bioline as of July 2018, but I found some listed on eBay.
Kamba ya Uvuvi Inayoweza Kuharibika Kibiolojia: Suluhisho Laweza Kuwa la Tatizo Zito Sote tumekuwa kwenye maziwa na mito yenye msongamano mkubwa, ambako kamba ya uvuvi iliyotupwa ni jambo la kawaida. Hufunika miti, hufunika ardhi na hata hutumika kama hatari iliyofichwa katika maji yenye giza. Ingawa huonekana kuwa mbaya na kuharibu mandhari yenye kupendeza ambayo wavuvi wengi hupenda kuvua samaki, ina hatari kubwa zaidi: Huua na kuharibu wanyama-pori. Mtego wa uvuvi wa pua unaweza kuonekana kama kitu kisicho na madhara, lakini ni hatari kubwa kwa wanyama wanaoishi karibu na pwani. Mara nyingi hufunika miguu, mkia, na mabawa, ambapo inaweza kukata mzunguko wa damu na kuua kiungo kilichoathiriwa. Inaweza hata kusababisha majeraha mabaya, kama wavuvi wengi wanavyojua tayari. Wanyama fulani wanaweza hata kuitumia bila kukusudia wanapokula. Hii inaweza kujumuisha carp ya nyasi inayokula mimea iliyo chini ya maji, kasa wanaotembea kwa ajili ya viumbe wanaoishi karibu na pwani na ndege wanaotembea, ambao hujaribu kula vyura, samaki na viumbe wengine wadogo ambao wanaweza kuwa wamekamatwa katika vifungo vya mstari usioonekana. Karibu katika visa vyote hivyo, mstari huo utaharibu viungo vya ndani vya mnyama huyo, na kusababisha mateso mengi wakati huohuo. Ni wazi kwamba majanga haya yanapaswa kuzuiwa wakati wowote inapowezekana, lakini katika karne ya 21, wakati idadi isiyo na kifani ya spishi za wanyama wa porini zinapopata kupungua kwa idadi ya watu, inakuwa muhimu sana kufanya hivyo. Tisho la Muda Mrefu Tatizo si kwamba kamba ya uvuvi ni hatari - hivyo ni vijiti vilivyo chini ya maji. Tofauti ni kwamba, vijiti huvunjika-vunjika na kuwa vitu vingi sana vinavyoweza kuharibiwa baada ya miaka michache. Monofilament, kwa upande mwingine, inaweza kutumika kwa miaka 600 au zaidi. "Hiyo inamaanisha kwamba nyuzi zote za monofilament zilizotupwa katika ziwa, mto au bahari bado zipo, na zinawakilisha tishio kwa yeyote na wote wanaokaribia sana.""" Lakini vipi ikiwa ungeweza kuepuka tatizo hili kwa kutengeneza kamba ya uvuvi ambayo huvunjika katika sehemu ndogo ya wakati huu? Kwa muda fulani, ilionekana kana kwamba kampuni moja ilikuwa imefanya hivyo hasa. Suluhisho Halisi au Hatua Katika Njia Sawa? Bioline, kampuni ya Portland, Oregon, ilianza kuzalisha mstari wa monofilament, viongozi na tippets. Lakini tofauti na mstari mwingine, mtengenezaji alielezea kwamba mstari huu ulitengenezwa kutokana na mchanganyiko wa polima zinazoweza kuharibika. Tofauti na vifaa vya muda mrefu kutumika katika mistari ya kawaida monofilament, Bioline ya vifaa constituent ingekuwa kuvunjika haraka na kabisa. "Wanafunzi waliweza kufanya hivyo kwa muda mfupi: ""Ijapokuwa kiwango cha uharibifu kilikuwa tofauti kulingana na joto la mahali hapo na mambo kama hayo, Bioline ilitengenezwa ili kuyeyushwa kabisa katika miaka mitano." Pia ilibuniwa kufanya vizuri kama au bora kuliko mistari ya jadi ya monofilament kufanya. Lakini je, ilitimiza mradi huo wenye kutokeza? Kwa kusikitisha, wavuvi wengi waliojaribu Bioline waligundua kwamba haikufaulu katika mambo kadhaa. Wengi waliripoti kwamba ilihisi ngumu kuliko mistari ya monofilament ya ubora wa juu, na haikuwa wazi kama mistari ya monofilament au fluorocarbon, ambayo ilitoa matatizo kwa wale wanaojaribu kuvua samaki wenye haya ya mstari. Pia ni ghali kidogo kuliko mistari ya jadi ya monofilament, ingawa labda haitoshi kuwazuia wavuvi wa mazingira kutoka kuijaribu. Hata hivyo, Bioline inawakilisha hatua nzuri ya kwanza katika ulimwengu wa teknolojia ya uvuvi ya mazingira. Mstari wa kwanza monofilament hawakuwa nzuri sana ama, lakini na miongo ya maendeleo, wao akawa kabisa kuvutia. Kwa kusikitisha, Bioline haitokezwi tena. Mwaka 2017, Eagle Claw, kampuni iliyomiliki Bioline, iliacha kutengeneza bidhaa hiyo kwa sababu ya wasiwasi kuhusu uwezekano wa kuharibika kwa viumbe. Ni lazima tuone ni nani, ikiwa kuna mtu yeyote, atakayeingilia ili kujaza pengo la soko, haswa kwa kuzingatia ufahamu unaoongezeka wa uchafuzi wa plastiki. Hata hivyo, mabaki ya spools bado inaweza kupatikana. Amazon haitoi tena Bioline mnamo Julai 2018, lakini nimepata baadhi iliyoorodheshwa kwenye eBay.