TITLE:
Total Recovery of Sinker Weights from Lead-Core Fishing Nets
AUTHORS:
Masafumi Tateda, Hiroshi Yamada, Youngchul Kim
KEYWORDS:
Fishing Net; Lead Sinker; Removal; Recovery; Health Effect
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.5 No.4,
March
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: The
adverse effects of lead poisoning have long been of environmental concern. A
large number of research papers have reported many routes of lead poisoning, of
which lead sinkers used in fishing require urgent attention. Lead sinkers that
are abandoned or scattered from individual fishing gear are notorious for
environmental pollution and have been reported in many papers; moreover,
lead-core “sinker rope” is used in fishery nets. This paper discusses the
latter, which generally has limited public awareness. Preliminary work and
field studies were conducted to develop a system for total treatment of lead
from fishing nets with lead-cored sinker ropes, in order to prevent
environmental pollution and conserve natural resources. Lead sinkers in fishing
nets were successfully removed, yielding high-quality lead suitable for
commercial purposes. Appropriate management of fishing nets is crucial for
environmental protection and resource conservation.