The mono effect

These are headlines we, as fishing enthusiasts, do not need to see. You can click on them to read the full articles.

Fishing Lines, Deadly When Discarded, Pose Threat to Birds in City Parks

Park Birds Snagged by Fishing Line and Hooks

Carelessly discarded fishing line and hooks in Prospect Park is posing a threat to birds.

It is sad and disheartening to hear that people still leave fishing line around.

"The problem is not new — or limited to Prospect Park. Birders in other city and state parks report similar cases. The Ocean Conservancy in Washington points out that monofilament fishing line, which is made from an individual fiber of plastic, has been in use since World War II, and as the decades pass, it has accumulated in the water and on land. For a quarter-century, the conservancy has organized coastal cleanups throughout the world on a single day in September. Over that time, 1,340,114 pieces of discarded fishing line have been collected, according to the group.

“Plastics in general are the most persistent forms of marine debris,” said Nicholas Mallos, a conservation biologist with the conservancy. “Once monofilament line becomes loose in the marine environment, it poses a serious threat.”"

Please remember, do not leave fishing line in the water or on the land, dispose of it properly or recycle it. Talk to your tackle store about line recycling.

Line Recycling

Re spool and Recycle
Public response to Berkley's innovative line and spool recycling program has been remarkable. Since 1990, the Berkley Conservation Institute, with the help of anglers everywhere, has recycled more than 9 million miles worth of fishing line. That's enough line to fill two reels for every angler in America.

And it continues to grow! Retailers and marinas have provided their support by displaying over 17,000 recycling collection bins. Magazines and radio stations have provided public service announcements.

Please continue your support. Pick up discarded fishing line and recycle it by dropping it off in a recycling collection bin, or mail it directly to our collection center at:

Berkley Recycling
1900 18th Street
Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360

Recycling Resources:

Florida Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program

The Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program (MRRP) is a statewide effort in Florida to educate the public on the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment, to encourage recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations in Florida , and to conduct volunteer monofilament line cleanup events.

Lake Champlain (Vermont)

Montana Monofilament Recovery & Recycling

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

South Carolina Monofilament Recycling

Texas Parks & Wildlife

WildCare (San Francisco Bay Area, California)

The Bermuda Trust