Laura Erickson’s For the Birds

Last time, I talked about a beautiful male flicker that had been tangled in monofilament line. It would have died if people hadn’t noticed and gotten help for it.

Monofilament is considered the primary cause of all bird entanglements. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists have identified monofilament fishing line as the number one killer of adult brown pelicans. The Tampa Bay Watch estimates that hundreds and probably thousands of birds die in Florida alone every year as a result of monofilament.

The commission writes:

Most monofilament is non-biodegradable. It lasts about 600 years. Because it is thin and often clear, it is very difficult for birds and animals to see and they can easily brush up against it and become entangled in it. Once entangled, they may become injured, may drown, may become strangled, or may starve to death. Many animals also ingest fishing line. One recovered sea turtle was found to have consumed 590 feet of heavy-duty fishing line.

During my years as a licensed rehabber, I cared for many birds that had been tangled in monofilament and heard of a great many more that had died before anyone could rescue them. The oddest case was when some kids heard thrashing inside a trash bin at the Lester River Golf Course and looked in to discover a pied-billed grebe all tangled in fishing line. The bird clearly didn’t get into the trash barrel itself. Apparently a golfer had come upon it on the golf course and tossed it in there so it wouldn’t mess up a shot. But fortunately the boys found the bird in time.

The best we could figure out was that the grebe got tangled while flying down into a pond and ended up grounded. Its feet were abraded—grebes aren’t designed for getting around on the ground—but otherwise it was fine so after cutting off all the line the boys and I brought it to the lake and released it.

I’ve read dozens of newspaper stories about the dangers of monofilament so it’s not like this is a new problem or one that isn’t well understood or well publicized. But even today when a line gets tangled a lot of fishermen have the impulse to just wad up the bad part and toss it into the water. It really isn’t much more work to put it in your pocket and throw it away at home or, better yet, recycle it.

Unfortunately, monofilament can’t be recycled with most other plastics. Some states provide monofilament line recycling boxes near fishing spots and setting up new monofilament line recycling programs can be an excellent Eagle Scout project.

If you don’t have access to a recycling project cut monofilament into very short lengths—less than six inches—before you throw it out. If you have a big wad just cut the whole blob into halves and then quarters. Otherwise it can surface at the landfill and wreak havoc on gulls, eagles, ravens and other species drawn to our garbage.

And to prevent your fishing line from hurting birds while you’re still using it, make sure you’re aware of branches and wires when casting and take precautions to avoid getting your line caught. If it does do your level best to untangle it rather than cutting it off.