In an effort to reduce the number of birds that are injured and killed by fishing tackle in the City of Longmont, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space department has issued reminders on social media, websites, city publications, and will post signage at local fishing spots for anglers to collect and properly dispose of fishing line and equipment.
The reminder comes after multiple incidents of wildlife being injured by fishing equipment this year, including “Percy” the pelican, who was euthanized in July due to an injury sustained from a littered fishing line at Golden Ponds.
Numerous fishing spots in Longmont have dedicated fishing line recycling containers for fishing line, according to the city. Where these are not available, people are asked to simply throw discarded fishing line away.
“Getting tangled in fishing line can make it difficult for birds to move, eat or escape from predators,” said City of Longmont’s Ecosystem Manager Jim Krick. “Swallowing hooks or lines is often deadly. This year we’ve seen several examples where birds were injured, or had to be euthanized, because of fishing gear. We understand that sometimes when lines break, the lost line is not retrievable. However, anytime you can pick up unwanted line, it can make a life-or-death difference to local birds.”
Should Longmont parks visitors see a bird in trouble, the City of Longmont said that they should report it by calling 303-651-8555.
