Long lasting trash, mostly plastics, clog our water ways. This material is unsightly, unhealthy, and dangerous for wild life.
One way to remove such trash is by using fishing gear to cast out, hook the trash, and real it in. To do this we need fishing lures that are specifically designed to hook trash and not fish.
The plug would have the weight and size of plugs commonly used for bass fishing but would have barbless hooks. They would be designed to stay on top of the water and keep the hook down. They should not be attractive to fish.
Preliminary test show that plastic grocery bags are by far the easiest to hook. Styrofoam cups represent a real challenge
This could be an attractive idea in the American Southeast where bass fishing is very popular and maintenance of sport fisheries is a major environmental concern. Sales of a card of three trash plugs could be a good money rising project for such conservation groups.
We could organize a design contest for the best design and prototype construction of the best trash plugs for various classes of trash. We could have contest for the fastest clearing of a marina.
I build some prototypes a number of years ago that worked fairley well but I know of no student projects in this area.
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