4/20/04 Mitch Emmons, 334/844-5964

AUBURN-DEVELOPED FISHING LURE GETTING NOTICED NATIONALLY

AUBURN -- With its most recent coup, a feature article in the latest issue of Field & Stream magazine, the Auburn University-developed Food Source fish lure is beginning to gain notoriety.

"We've geared up our manufacturing operation in Eufaula, and have produced some 20,000 bags of lures," says Roy Gilbert, executive vice president of Food Source Corp.

The company is distributing its product out of its base in Birmingham, and the bait soon will be available in all major fishing tackle outlets, says Gilbert.

"Since the Field & Stream article hit, we've really seen an increase in interest," said Doug Ollis, a partner in the firm and the source of the idea that led AU scientists to develop the lure.

Ollis came to Auburn fisheries scientist Russell Wright with the idea to make an artificial fishing lure along the style of a candy Gummi Worm.

"I got the idea after my dog ate an entire bag of plastic worms," Ollis said. "My dog was OK following the incident, but that got me thinking about the hazards plastic bait can pose to fish, birds and animals, as well as to the environment. Plastic does not biodegrade, and if eaten by fish, birds or animals, it can be deadly."

Wright took the idea to AU's College of Human Sciences, where food scientists Jean Weese and Leonard Bell went to work.

The researchers, after some two years of work and testing, developed a completely biodegradable and artificial fishing lure that is made entirely of edible fish food.

The lures made their public debut in July 2003 in Las Vegas at the 46th annual International Conventional of Allied Sportsfishing Trades show, the American Sportfishing Association's premier trade event. The response was good, Gilbert said.

Ken Schultz, fishing editor of Field & Stream, wrote that biodegradable lures may be the future of fishing because of the environmental benefits they produce. Schultz qualified his statement by stressing that more fishing time is needed to fully evaluate the fish-catching effectiveness of the lures, but the bait has proven to catch fish.

"I recently caught the largest fish of the day -- a four-pounder -- on a Food Source lure during a fishing tournament in Florida," Ollis said.

Ollis' team also won the tournament trophy in that event for the most fish caught.

Food Source licensed the technology through Auburn's Office of Technology Transfer.

apr04:AU-lure