How We’re Using Plants to Clean Our Waters
At Fishing For A Better Solution, our mission is more than just an idea—it’s a science-driven project born from years of dedicated research. We believe in creating practical solutions to local environmental problems. This page breaks down the science behind our innovative, biodegradable fishing gear and explains how it actively works to make our waters cleaner.
The Problem in Our Backyard
Our project was inspired by a serious local issue: pollution from lost fishing gear.
- Heavy Metal Contamination: Every year, millions of fishing lures made of heavy metals are lost in bodies of water. Over time, these metals break down and release toxins into the ecosystem.
- A Local Focus: In 2021, West Palm Beach’s own Spillway Park was found to be polluted with toxins like microcystin, which contaminated the local fish.
- Health Risks: When these toxins accumulate in fish, they can be passed on to people who consume them, leading to harmful health consequences.
This is the problem we decided to solve.
Our Solution: Nature-Powered Technology
To combat heavy metal pollution, we developed biodegradable fishing gear with phytoremediation properties.
What is Phytoremediation? It’s the process of using living plants to clean up soil, air, and water contaminated with hazardous pollutants. Certain plants are naturally gifted at absorbing heavy metals, effectively pulling them out of the environment.
Our fishing baits are designed to do just that. While they function as effective bait, they are also working to absorb pollutants, leaving the water cleaner than it was before.
How It Works: From Plant to Product
We use safe, food-grade ingredients to ensure our products are environmentally friendly from start to finish.
Step 1: Choosing the Right Plants
Our research identified three key plants known for their powerful remediation abilities:
- Lemna Minor (Duckweed): Known for its rapid growth and ability to remove heavy metals in hostile environments.
- Water Lilies: Can absorb heavy metals, as well as excess phosphorus and nitrogen, through their nutrient-rich roots.
- Salvinia: Adaptable and known for its high biomass production and heavy metal accumulation, making it ideal for wastewater treatment.
Step 2: Creating the Plant Powder
We developed a careful process to turn these plants into our active ingredient:
- The fresh plants are thoroughly cleaned.
- They are dried in an oven at a low temperature to preserve their properties.
- Once fully dried, they are ground into a fine powder, ready to be mixed into our bait formula.
Step 3: Crafting the Bait
We have developed several formulas, including gelatin-based and agar-based (a plant-based alternative) versions. The core ingredients serve specific purposes:
- Distilled Water: A pure, non-toxic base for the mixture.
- Gelatin or Agar Powder: A natural binding agent that gives the bait its jelly-like, springy feel.
- Vegetable Glycerin: A plant-based liquid that adds strength and mimics the texture of plastic baits.
- Plant Powder: The key ingredient that gives the bait its phytoremediation properties.
- Krill Oil: A natural and effective fish attractant commonly used in Florida.
The ingredients are carefully mixed, heated, and poured into molds to set, creating the final product.
Putting Our Research to the Test
To prove our solution works, we designed two key experiments:
The Absorption Test: This is where we measure the bait’s cleaning power. We soak the bait in a solution containing cadmium, a common and toxic heavy metal found in fishing areas. Using a spectrometry reading, we can measure how much of the cadmium is absorbed by the bait over time, testing its potential to clean pollutants from the water.
The Biodegradability Test: This test measures how quickly our baits break down in different water types. We compare their degradation in a pure, controlled sample (distilled water) versus a real-world sample (water from Spillway Park). The goal is to ensure our baits are environmentally friendly and don’t linger like plastic waste.