Plastic Specimens. The 3-foot-long solid plastic rods and vinyl tubes 

 recovered after 24 months on the sea floor in 5,640 feet of water are shown in 

 Figure 26. 



There were numerous borer holes present underneath the area where large 

 wood bait pieces were fitted over the plastic specimens (Figure 27). The holes 

 ranged from shallow to deep. The lower section, exposed about 0.5 foot above the 

 sediment layer, had more numerous borer holes than on the upper sections, which 

 were exposed about 3 feet above the sediment. In other words, the borers were 

 more active and more numerous near the sediment than 3 feet above the sediment 

 layer. The borers did not penetrate directly into those areas of the plastic not in 

 direct contact with the wood. The borers were unable to do so, probably because 

 the plastics were either too hard or too smooth for the borers to obtain a firm 

 foothold on the surface. The number and size of the borer holes found on the 

 surface of the plastic specimens are presented in Table 4. 



Figure 27. Plastic materials damaged by borers. 



34 



