Fishing Gear

FISHING GEAR LITTER

At certain clean-up sites around the country, fishing gear such as bait bags, monofilament fishing line, lures and glow sticks makes the top 3 items removed by volunteers time and time again. Fishing line can be snagged under the water, tangles of hundreds of meters of line along the foreshore, or cut off pieces left when rods are being made ready for the day, bait bags smell of fish and attract wildlife who can ingest the plastic packaging and lures and glowsticks are made of non-biodegradable materials. This gear is is not only an eye-sore, but a real threat to the environment.

Estimated to take over 600 years to break up into small pieces in the environment, plastics such as fishing line has been responsible for the injury and deaths of seabirds, turtles, dolphins, seals and even whales, none of which are the target species fishermen are after.

Tackle bins to tackle the recreational fishing debris issue

January 17, 2020 Caroline Laux

The idea of addressing recreational fishing gear litter at popular fishing locations was formulated at a source reduction plan workshop facilitated by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation early 2017 on the Gold Coast. With the support of a number of local organisations and community members, a working group developed the Tackle Bin Project which included the design, installation and monitoring of specialised fishing line bins. Thanks to their efforts, twelve bins were later installed in popular Gold Coast recreational fishing locations. The initiative was generously funded by the Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation, Healthy Waterways, and the Gold Coast Waterways Authority.

Reel It In!

August 2, 2018 Heidi

A fishing line bin project will be expanded along the Swan and Canning riverbanks to help reduce the impact of discarded fishing line and tackle on dolphins, water birds and other animals.

Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the State Government would invest $20,000 to continue the Reel It In project that is expected to remove up to 20 kilometres of discarded fishing line from the rivers each year.

The Swan River Trust installed 25 dedicated fishing line bins at popular jetties, fishing platforms, traffic bridges and boat ramps as a trial during 2014. The initiative involved seven riverfront local governments, plus the Fremantle Port Authority and City of Cockburn.

“The fishing line bin project is a cost effective solution to a serious problem and has delivered significant benefits to the dolphins, birdlife and the community,” Mr Jacob said.

“The results show that recreational fishers have made excellent use of the bins during this trial and we are reducing the risk of rubbish impacting on wildlife.

“In total, more than 8,788 metres of fishing line, 1,743 hooks and sinkers, 1,508 bait bags and 254 items such as lures and tackle packets were collected throughout the year.”

Shire of Harvey Tackle Fishing Hotspots

August 2, 2018August 2, 2018 Heidi

In 2014 the Shire of Harvey in WA was successful in applying for a Keep Australia Beautiful litter prevention grant to install fishing line recycling bins and education signage at local fishing hotspots. The Shire of Harvey has a 45km coastline, the Leschenault estuary and three major rivers, where fishing line can be and has been a serious environmental issue.

Tackle Bins and Education signage now displayed at 6 locations within the Shire with more than 600m of line in the first month after installation!

Shark bins for smelly fishing litter

August 2, 2018 Heidi

This source reduction plan was designed by participants in Port Hedland during a workshop funded through Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA Litter Prevention Grants. The goal of the source reduction plan is to address plastic bait bags which have been identified as a reoccurring problem in the area. They are thought to derive from land based campers and council park users as well as water based fishermen. They are discarded on the beach, in the water and at the foreshore parks. It is important to reduce the number of plastic bait bags in the area because they are unsightly and they impact on all wildlife. A sea turtle that comes across a plastic bait bag in the ocean will be attracted to it due to its fishy aroma and its appearance as a jelly fish; one of their food sources. Ingestion of plastic has a range of issues such as starvation, intestinal blockages and toxic effects.

Geraldton tackles fishing hotspots

August 2, 2018 Heidi

This source reduction plan was designed by participants in Geraldton during a workshop funded through Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA Litter Prevention Grants. The goal of the source reduction plan is to reduce the amount of discarded recreational fishing gear at Drummond Cove. The fishing gear is often left behind on the beach, lost or damaged; particularly during storm events. It is important to address this issue in the local community because derelict fishing gear affects the health of marine life as well as human and pet safety.

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