New WA product to reduce plastic for fishers

A NEW West Australian product is set to reduce the amount of plastic required for recreational fishing bait.

Recfishwest, in partnership with Mendolia Seafoods, has developed biodegradable bait boxes that are filled with fish waste that can be used as fish burley or lobster baits.

The new bait boxes do not have plastic lining, or any internal plastic bag to contain the frozen bait, like other bait boxes do.

The bait product itself is made from local fish waste, like sardine by-products, and will result in less fish waste heading to landfill and the new packaging means there is no need to take plastic bags out when fishing.

The product can be used by the 140,000 West Australians who fish from a boat each year.

The bait boxes will be available from selected retail outlets. For more information, visit http://www.recfishwest.org.au

“With predictions that there is likely to be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050, we need to be doing everything we can to reduce our use of plastic,” Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly said.

“This new biodegradable fishing option has the potential to reduce hundreds of thousands of plastic bait bags coming into contact with our aquatic environment.

“Each year Western Australians make about 400,000 boat trips for recreational fishing.

“If these fishers think about reducing plastic bag use for bait or opt to buy one of these plastic-free bricks, there is the potential to significantly reduce the amount of plastic on board boats.

“I congratulate Recfishwest and Mendolia Seafoods for developing this positive new product.”