Eurobait Maggots Presents....

Recession-hit UK turns to fishing

2009-03-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

By Angling Times

General News

24 March 2009 10:41

Men are increasingly turning to angling as the perfect tonic to beat the stress of the economic downturn, Angling Times can reveal this week.

Research in the UK and the US shows that more and more men are turning to cheaper, quieter and simpler hobbies like fishing, gardening and DIY in an effort to make more ‘me time’ and escape the pressures of the recession.

Online market research company YouGov has found:
- Three-quarters of men feel happiest doing hands-on activities
- Almost 40 per cent feel their ‘man-time’ is dwindling
- A third of men are more stressed at work than they were six months ago
- One in 10 admitted to hiding in the loo to escape pressures

In the US, the National Sporting Goods Association’s latest figures reveal sales of fishing rods and reels have hit a 10-year high as the world economy has slid into recession, a trend reflected during the last downturn in 2001/02.

Both here and in the States rod licence sales have continued to rise.

“It’s clear that regardless of age or job, men seem happiest when they’re getting their hands dirty,” commented Dan Korn, senior vice president of Discovery programming.

“Fishing is the UK’s biggest participation sport and is at the heart of Discovery Shed TV’s schedule,” he added.

January and February are traditionally tough months for the trade and sport as a whole, and the combination of this year’s harsh winter and tough economic climate have made things worse than ever.

But now the weather is warming up and the nights are drawing out, fisheries and tackle shops are starting to see customers return in ever-increasing numbers.

“People are noticeably more cautious with their money, but by buying in bulk I’m able to sell customers quality rods and reels at the best price,” explained Mark Wilkinson, boss of Chapman’s Tackle in Hull, whose business continues to be up year-on-year.

“It’s all about value for money. Fishing offers that better than any other hobby. A brand new golf ball costs me £3 and I can lose it off the first tee, that’s before you consider green fees. A pint of maggots can last you the whole day,” he added.

www.grubjuice.com

2009-03-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hi! The grubjuice website is now LIVE!!!

Go on have a gander! There are some great videos (like the one below!) and you can add your own pics to the site!

ALSO!! To aid with SEO, we have launched eurobait-maggots.com

MAGGOTS to the RESCUE!!

2009-03-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Maggots in the news:

Lowly maggot poised to boost income, cut pollution

12 March 2009

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — Hard-pressed farmers in developing countries could be thrown an economic lifeline after a lucky discovery by French scientists involving a useless palm oil by-product and the lowly maggot.

The synergy of two otherwise nuisance agents produced a virtually cost-free feed for farmed fish while reducing a pungent source of pollution -- a potential boon in countries like Indonesia, one of the world's largest palm oil producers.

"This process will allow us to recycle palm oil refinery waste and turn it into cheap food for fish farms and to produce 'green' fertiliser," Saurin Hem, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Development (IRD) in the southern French port of Marseille, told AFP.

After an IRD team stumbled onto the discovery they perfected the technique with partners from Indonesia, which churns out almost 2.3 million tonnes of palm oil a year.

Jakarta is set to start using the method this year at a refinery on the western island of Sumatra, IRD said.

The unlikely players in this small miracle are the tiny, squirming larvae reviled the world over -- maggots -- and a by-product from an industry in tropical Africa and Southeast Asia that is often maligned by environmentalists opposed to the expansion of plantations into rainforests and other delicate habitats.

Palm oil production generates millions of tonnes of biomass called palm kernel meal that can foul nearby waters and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Some palm kernel meal is exported to Europe, the United States and Australia as cattle feed, but the majority is largely left to rot, emitting the foul-smelling, polluting gas in hot tropical settings.

Parallel to this, local populations eking out a living in palm-growing developing states have increasingly turned to fish farming to earn a bit of income and provide themselves with an important source of protein.

The problem is that many of these rural dwellers don't have enough money to nourish the fish to maturity. Until now -- when the IRD team stumbled across a new way to convert the unwanted meal into fish food.

The French scientists at IRD had been tasked with finding a way of making palm kernel -- rich in fats and proteins -- suitable to feed to fish.

Testing began in the west African state of Guinea with a mixture fed to a 400-strong shoal of tilapia fish, commonly farmed in Asia and Africa for their large size and rapid growth.

But the experiment failed -- the fish wouldn't bite, and left the palm kernel meal untouched.

Researchers dumped the fermented mixture well outside the IRD's laboratory owing to its strong smell.

Two weeks later they noticed something strange: chickens and other birds were pecking furiously at the rotting refuse, feasting on maggots. A species called black solider flies had been attracted by the smell and laid eggs.

That was the scientists' eureka moment: enzymes secreted by the fly larvae, it turned out, had changed the chemistry of the fermenting mixture.

Wondering if the fish would find it more digestible, they tried again. This time, the tilapia grew 3.5 times faster than with previous feeds, and gained three times as much weight per day.

Experts like Boris Patentreger, head of head of forestry conservation at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), welcome the findings but warn about the Catch-22: any increase in palm oil production should not cause further deforestation.

"It's a very good initiative which helps recycle waste and avoids creating more dangerous greenhouse gases. On the other hand, we must make sure we have sustainable palm oil production," he told AFP.

The use of palm oil, reputedly free of artery-clogging trans fats, has soared in the commercial food industry, notably in the United States and Europe where it is found in everything from cookies to soups to sandwich spreads.

It is also used as a biofuel in the craze to find renewable energy sources. Environmentalists say these factors have already caused the destruction of numerous tropical forests, cleared to make way for bigger plantations.

IRD researcher Hem shared the concerns about protecting the environment.

"To be able to recycle the waste, we must not destroy the insect's natural habitat, that is to say the forest," he said.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.

Coming soon- Grubjuice!!!

2009-03-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Grubjuice is a revolutionary new bait additive and dip from Eurobait, Britains largest Maggot producer.

Grubjuice has been developed over a 12 month period with the help of 2 leading scientists. It uses only the freshest maggots, which are cleaned and digested to release their unique amino-acid content and produce a sticky, flavour-packed liquid. This is further enhanced with a carefully selected blend of human-grade stabilisers and palatabilty additives to produce a superb additive for groundbaits, glugging, dipping and pellet/boilie soaks. Grubjuice has a shelf-life of at least 12 months.

Grubjuice can be used effectively as a Hookbait dip, Groundbait Additive, Boilie or Pellet soak, or use in a Pole Cup directly into the swim. A technique that has proven very effective is to place a Grubjuice soaked sponge in a swimfeeder with a few maggots and presto! Through extensive field and tank testing we have found the results to be little short of astounding! Fish just cannot resist this liquid.

The Maggot has been a universal bait for many years. With Grubjuice,we have harnessed the Maggots unique qualities and opened these up to anglers of all styles including Carp, Specimen and Match. With Grubjuice, we can confidently declare, “The worlds best bait, just got better!”

For more information, or to become a stockist, please drop us a line:
Email: sales@eurobiogroup.co.uk
Or visit one of our websites

Eurobait, the Maggot breeder

www.grubjuice.com (coming soon)