In our March 2008 issue, I wrote a column about the environmental hazards of soft-plastic baits. Because most such baits aren’t biodegradable, some fish, for example, may find and eat discarded soft-plastic worms and suffer stomach blockage as a result. There are chemical issues, too, especially with compounds called phthalates, which are what make soft-plastic baits flexible and soft in the first place. Some phthalates are thought to cause developmental problems in small children.
Just last week, President Bush signed a new Consumer Product Safety Bill, which newly restricts the use of some phthalates in flexible plastic items designed for children under age 12. Inevitably, soft-plastic baits are going to become items of increasing concern.
So I’m left wondering: Is this just typical major government meddling over a very minor issue? Or should I quit using plastic worms entirely and go back to using nothing but real worms?
John Merwin lives in Vermont, where, when he's not tying flies, building lures, or digging up worms with his backhoe, he writes the monthly Fishing Column for Field & Stream magazine.