Fishing News
Environmental Effort Reels In Fishing Staple-Used line recycled to save marine life
By Shawna Sundin, [email protected]
Fishing line that once maimed manatees and immobilized birds now is being recycled into other fishing products.
White plastic containers recently installed at fishing docks, boat ramps and piers across Northeast Florida give anglers a place to dump their used line so it won't harm marine life. Discarded line often gets tangled around birds, turtles and fish so they can't move to get food and they slowly starve to death, said Beverly Fleming, St. Johns County park naturalist.
"Our environment is our most valuable resource, so we're hoping people will understand we're trying to protect it by disposing of their old fish line in a responsible manner," Fleming said.
The St. Johns County parks and recreation department and several private groups have paid $75 to get each container and have the recycling station assembled, which includes mounting the container on a pole or rail and putting a sign above it describing the program.
Volunteers collect the nylon fishing line, which is boxed and sent to a fishing tackle manufacturer in Iowa that recycles it into items such as tackle boxes and fish habitats, said Maia McGuire, marine extension agent with the University of Florida's Sea Grant program.
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