“Sinkers” replace lead sinkers in Denmark’s fisheries

Linimatic, a Danish die casting company, produces a variety of zinc products, including lead-free, zinc sinkers for the fishing industry. Lead has been banned from use in sports fishing equipment in Denmark since 2002, and in 2007, an executive order from the Danish government banned the use of lead in commercial fishing equipment. This legislation was implemented because lead is a toxic metal: significant concentrations of lead can have detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems. Lead is particularly harmful to marine invertebrates which serve a vital role in the entire trophic food chain. More specifically, lead can impact the fertilization and larval development of marine vertebrates, and it can also inhibit their reproduction and result in mortality. It also affects seawater chemistry, and because lead is not biodegradable it can permanently contaminate water.

Jan V. Jørgensen, managing director and Jürgen A. Haberl, sales manager, explained that the implementation of this legislation by the Danish government inspired Linimatic to lead a project to develop a lead-free sinker for shing nets. Sinkers are weights, typically made of lead, used in recreational and commercial shing to control the depth of a shing line or net and the speed at which they move through the water, and they range in size to assist the varying needs of shermen. Unfortunately, lead sinkers are often corrosive and frequently are lost in the ocean, so they pollute the water. Linimatic’s project, starting in 2006, was backed by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with researchers at the Technical University of

Denmark (DTU). e result of the project was zinc sinkers, which Linimatic markets as “Snkers.”

Making the switch from lead to zinc sinkers

Linimatic’s project revealed that zinc can be used to replace lead in most kinds of shing equipment, including sinkers used for trawl, seine, and other sorts of industrial shing. In fact, zinc is superior to lead in many respects. e downsides to zinc use are that it is about 10-15 more expensive than lead, and more sinkers are required to achieve the same e ect because zinc is less dense. However, the sinkers last 5-6 times longer; zinc is more resistant to impact, so zinc sinkers su er less abrasion, making their lifespan longer than that of lead. From a purely economic perspective it is di cult to distinguish sinkers made from lead from those made of zinc. e most notable advantage of switching to zinc sinkers is the environmental bene t that it has. Trawlers drag the sinkers across the sea oor when shing. is erodes the sinker, leaving tiny particles in the marine environment. When corrosive lead sinkers are used, the particles left in the ocean are toxic. In contrast, the zinc sinkers are relatively harmless because zinc and the other metals used in Linimatic’s sinkers are non-toxic and have little or no negative e ect on the environment. To ensure, however, that zinc sinkers do not cause harm to the marine environment, it must be ensured that the proper zinc alloy is used. e wrong alloy could contain heavy metals like lead, tin, and cadmium which would crumble and corrode and pollute the water.

Legislation is crucial for an international transition towards Zinc

By outlawing lead in shing gear, the Danish authorities have pushed the shing industry into substituting lead shing tools with tools made of other material. Lead sinkers are still being phased out, explained Mr Jørgensen, so lead shing products can no longer be purchased legally, but those that are still in circulation can still be used. So, as lead sinkers are phased out, Linimatic’s sales of zinc sinkers have gradually increased.

Mr Jørgensen stated that the company’s sales are almost exclusively to Danish companies that produce shing gear, mainly nets, who then distribute their products to shermen. He further explained that the legislation which has promoted the sales of zinc sinkers in Denmark is not universal across the EU. ough neighboring countries like Sweden, Iceland, and Norway all have similar policies when it comes to concern over the environment, they still do not regulate the use of lead in shing gear. Mr Jørgensen predicts that environmental demands will eventually be the driver for change in Scandinavian countries and hopes that legislation will cause a shift in market demand.

Linimatic has been in contact with Norwegian net producers, and some of them are interested in converting from lead to zinc sinkers, but it would require convincing their customers that the price di erence and the need to use more sinkers per net is worthwhile. Mr Haberl said that in Norway, shermen are primarily concerned with the price of the sinkers, and he does not foresee a shift in their use from lead sinkers until policy changes are made. He added, however, that Linimatic recently had a buyer from Italy who was more interested in the product’s quality and delivery time than in the price. is could indicate a market for zinc sinkers in Italy, thinks Mr Haberl.

A promising future for the zinc sinker market

Mr Jørgensen is optimistic that the market will expand, particularly because of universal concern for the environment. Denmark’s transition to a greener shing industry includes support for new technologies that push the industry in a more sustainable direction, and which could promote the use

Linimatic A/S

Bomose Allé 12

DK-3200 Helsinge

Tel: +45 4876 4040 https://linimatic.eu/

Managing Director: Jan V. Jørgensen

Sales Director: Jürgen A. Haberl Tel.: +45 6155 5572 jh@linimatic.dk of Sinkers. Linimatic’s production process is machine driven in contrast to the production of lead sinkers which is largely manual. Manufacturing by machine ensures that the weight and quality is consistent, and the sinkers are without any sharp edges, so no damage is done to the nets, increasing their lifespan. In contrast, lead sinkers made by hand are not uniform. e material is not only harmful to the marine environment, but also to the workers who fabricate the sinkers manually, says Mr Jørgensen. He believes demand for zinc sinkers will likely only increase signi cantly if the proper legislation is implemented in other parts of Europe. e time is right, says Mr Jørgensen. Everybody is concerned about the climate, and everybody knows about the toxicity of lead. It would not be at all di cult for other governments to follow in the footsteps of the Danish government. e zinc sinkers already exist, and they o er many bene ts over lead. But as is the case with so many other environmental issues, making substantial change is much more complicated than simply swapping materials. Despite this, Linimatic is hopeful that zinc will continue to grow as a key part of the shing industry across Europe.

Nora Goodman, info@euro sh.dk

Products: Zinc sinkers

Other parts for applications, including industry, design, automotive, aerospace, and medical devices

Function: Zinc die casting and manufacturing to produce a variety of complex, precise, and detailed parts.

Markets: Denmark (for sinkers exclusively)