you would be amazed at the junk on the bottom....

Posted By: Rod DeShong WWP-15 #2645 "Port-A-Potter"
Date: 7/22/09 3:40p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Fish hooks, lines, leaders, and litter (Rich McDevitt P-15 # 2531 Minnow SF Bay)

I SCUBA dive on a regular basis. I go at least 3 or 4 times a month. I always carry along a "goody bag", just to collect trash in. The amount of trash is staggering. Most of it will never be seen if you don't dive. I find everything from cans, bottles, aluminum cans, plastic 6-pack carry tabs, traffic signs, traffic cones, traffic barracades, furniture, broken fishing poles (easier to just throw them in the water than to dispose of them properly), fishing hooks, lures, lead weights, tangles of fishing lines and just about anything else you could think of. I try to pick up trash, especially if it is fresh and marine life hasn't started to live in or on it. Almost every old can or bottle has something living in it, as is the Seaweed Blenny in this picture I took. I would never disturb his home, even if it is an old soda can. Any area people use as a playground, usually has a high level of trash on the bottom. The reef systems are quite fragile. Even a light brush from a diver can kill years of coral growth. It is disheartening to see a plastic bag wrapped around a coral head, knowing it is killing years or even decades of growth. Salt water is harsh on anything in it. Fortunately, fish hooks and steel leaders rust away in a short time. Lead sinkers do not rust away. They lay there, contaminating the water. It's not unusual to bring up 3 or 4 pounds of lead on every dive. It's not hard to find...just look for the big tangle of fish line attached to it! I love getting tangled in line....NOT! Plastic does not "go away". It takes a long time for it to decompose. I apologize for dragging this out, but I feel most strongly about the our waterways being poluted. Plastics are a way of life that will never go away, nor should they. People have to be educated about the consequences of the irresponsibile disposing of wastes. It is not getting better! EVERYONE must do their part to solve the problem. OK, I'm done ranting!