Sea sausage: New Plymouth fishers create innovative bait made from crayfish

By Gianina Schwanecke of RNZ It is not only humans who consider cray delicious, it is also a favourite of rig (aka lemon fish). Now, a new crayfish bait type called the sea sausage has been developed to hook the fish. Two New Plymouth fishermen teamed up with a Massey University student to invent the bait, which is made entirely of crayfish waste products supplied by the Fiordland Lobster Company.

Keith Mawson from Egmont Seafoods and fisher Rob Ansley of Ocean Pearl Fisheries were looking for a new bait to attract rig — also known as lemon or spotted dogfish — after switching from trawling to long line fishing to protect dolphins. Rig is a valued product that makes for excellent fish and chips, both here and in Australia, Mawson said..