In June of this year, the LSU AgCenter started a local monofilament recovery and recycling program for used fishing line. It is a local effort 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, and to conduct volunteer monofilament line cleanup events.

Recycling bins like these can be seen at local boat launches and fishing piers in Terrebonne and Lafourche parish. These bins are part of the LSU AgCenter’s monofilament recovery and recycling program. La. Sea Grant Marine Extension Program and LSU AgCenter’s local America’s Wetland Conservation Corps members will continue to install and maintain recovery bins at boat launches and fishing piers in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

After a column explaining the program appeared in The Courier, the LSU AgCenter received several e-mails concerning alternatives to using monofilament fishing line. It seems that even fishing line has gone “green.”

A doctor from Portland, Ore., who specialized in medical sutures that dissolve in the human body after surgery created a great new product. Most petroleum-based monofilament fishing line stays in the environment for 500 years. Even then it only photodegrades. It does not biodegrade. The new BioLINE works like normal line for a year then dissolves to a trace amount of carbon dioxide and water.

“While we always encourage retrieving any broken line, safety and practicality sometimes make that impossible,” the manufacturer’s Web site states. “With our biodegradable line, nature has a fighting chance. Traditional monofilament fishing lines endanger and obstruct habitat for over 600 years. New braided super-lines, even longer. We found a better solution. Bioline biofilament fishing line biodegrades in the environment in five years. Further during years 2-5 it is significantly degraded permitting wildlife to easily break free should accidental entanglement occur.”

The concept of biodegradable fishing line was first advanced at a company that made medical sutures – the stitches that dissolve in the human body after surgery. After years of development, testing, technological and manufacturing advances, they released Bioline: America’s first biodegradable fishing line.

Bioline looks and feels like any Lo-Vis, Clear, Traditional Monofilament line. You will notice superior casting distance and exceptional knot strength, along with outstanding ultraviolet and abrasion resistance. Bioline does not absorb water like traditional monofilaments, and its characteristics do not change as it’s fished. And yes, should you break off a leader or length of line, it will be gone in five years versus 600. Even the storage spool is biodegradeable. Stored in its original package, Bioline has a five-year shelf life. Once spooled on a reel, the line will retain 100 percent of its strength for a period of 10 to 12 months, with no special handling.

Instructions for tournament-strength results include – Store Bioline unopened in its foil pouch until ready for use. Spool on reel. Wet knots prior to tightening. Change Bioline every season or on nine month intervals in year-round fisheries.

The difference between Bioline and nylon monofilaments, fluorocarbon, Spectra and Dyneema fiber lines is found in what happens once it comes off the reel, whether lost due to breakage or discarded as garbage. In roughly five years, Bioline degrades in the environment to a minimal quantity of carbon dioxide and water. Nylon monofilaments remain for 600 years, fluorocarbon longer, Spectra and Dyneema even longer. Bioline represents a 99 percent reduction in the active life of the line in the environment.

The problems with traditional lines in the environment extend well beyond being a nuisance and an eyesore. Direct ingestion, wildlife entanglement and destruction of corals have all been documented with respect to fishing lines. Given the life span of traditional materials, fishermen has only continued to add to the problem over decades, with centuries to go before the natural decomposition of the first nylon lines ever lost is complete.

Bioline embraces the best of technology, delivering the performance and handling of nylon monofilament within the working life of the line, yet containing its overall lifespan within years rather than centuries. While angler ethics have dramatically altered how fishermen handle fish and four-stroke outboards have refined marine power, Bioline offers an intelligent alternative in fishing line for the future of habitats.

Spool Weight: 3 ounces/85 grams. Capacity: 210 yards. Strengths: 4-, 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-pound test. More sizes coming soon.

By David A. Bourgeois – an area agent with the LSU AgCenter. He can be reached at the office, 511 Roussell St., Houma, 873-6495 or dbourgeois@agctr.lsu.edu

“Fish Florida is supporting outstanding organizations who are offering exciting opportunities for children to learn about fishing. Many children who have never been on a boat or caught a fish will have their first experience; it can be the start of a life-ling hobby,” said Lara Kramer, Director of Fish Florida. “We also want to thank everyone who purchased the Fish Florida license plate. It is what makes our programs possible.”

Fish Florida’s funding comes from the Fish Florida specialty license plate, featuring Florida’s saltwater fish – the sailfish. Anglers, boaters, and others purchase thousands of Fish Florida plates, demonstrating their dedication to the future of their sport.

At least 75% of every dollar from license plate proceeds is used for programs, with less than 25% being spent on administration and marketing. The Fish Florida plate is for sale at local Department of Motor Vehicle offices or link to online purchasing through Fish Florida’s website at www.fishfloridatag.org.

Buying the Fish Florida license plate is just one way to help. Fish Florida encourages you to spread the word about its programs, ask for posters or bumper stickers you can give away, and volunteer to teach kids to fish.

Fish Florida is a non-profit organization created in 1998 to cast awareness on Florida fisheries and aquatic habitats. Fish Florida supports organizations teaching people, especially children, about fishing, freshwater and marine habitats, and aquatic resource stewardship. Since its founding in 1998, Fish Florida has helped over 100,000 children participate in fishing clinics throughout Florida.

Fish Florida programs (rod and reel donations, grants, and scholarships) are available to organizations teaching aquatic education or kids’ fishing clinics in Florida. More information about how to apply for these programs is available on the Fish Florida website.

Kids’ fishing clinic photos and a detailed list of rod and reel, grant, and scholarship recipients are available. Please contact Lara Kramer at fishflorida@bellsouth.net, 954-927-8361 for more information.

July 2005 – July 2008
37 Grant Awards – $260,000.00
Rod & Reel Combos Donated – 47,000
Tackle Kits Donated- 40,000
Kids Fishing Clinics held, in 60 Florida Cities – 200
Created an Endowment Fund – $200,000.00

The Fishing and Conservation Trust will use their $3,300.00 and 200 rod and reel combos to run Children’s Fishing Clinics in partnership with the International Game Fish Association and the Youth Fishing Foundation. They will conduct fishing clinics to encourage families to fish together and learn on-water and angling safety, rod handling and casting, terminal tackle and knot tying, bait handling, catch and release ethics, fish identification, and Florida’s fishing regulations.

Florida Sea Grant will use their $9,500.00 grant award for a Dolphin-Friendly Fishing Outreach Program to educate anglers about the problems of feeding dolphin and proper dolphin-friendly fishing practices. Sea Grant will produce dolphin/angler interaction tip cards, use and distribute a 30-sec PSA “Don’t Feed Wild Dolphins”, construct and distribute mini-monofilament recycling bins, and create fishing line recycling educational displays.

The Larry Hatchett Fishing Foundation will use their $8,000.00 grant award to take foster home children from across the southeastern United States to the Florida Panhandle to learn about fishing and being a good angler; it’s also an amazing opportunity for the children to build self-esteem.

Mahogany Youth Corporation will use their $10,000.00 grant award for their “Teach a Child to Fish” Summer Camps.
During the 10-weeks of summer camp, children will learn fishing skills like casting, lures and bait, catch and release, knots, fishing ethics, fish biology, and water safety. Children will also discuss social issues like coping with stress, setting goals, and saying no to drugs. Mahogany uses fishing to teach children self-esteem and a new hobby. The funds will provide scholarships for children who cannot afford to attend the camp.

Three Captains will use their $11,000.00 grant award to run Kids’ Educational Fishing Programs. Students will take a trip aboard Miami’s Reward Fleet head boats to learn about habitat, conservation, fishing regulations, ethics, and technique.

These grant awards were made possible thanks to the people who purchased the Fish Florida license plate. Fish Florida’s next grant awards will be decided in December 2008.

So far this year, Fish Florida has awarded fishing equipment to more than 40 kids’ fishing clinics from Pensacola to Key West. Check our events page for updates and email us if you would like to learn more about kids’ fishing events in your area.

You own a four stroke outboard to power your fishing boat, you use nontoxic sinkers; you never throw anything overboard except when casting a fishing lure attached to your line; how can you be polluting the lakes that you fish?

If you are using soft plastic lures you may be unknowingly contributing to a growing problem when you lose a lure on bottom or when a fish breaks it off your line. These lures come in a variety of designs to mimic crayfish, salamanders, worms, minnows, etc. Most soft plastic baits sold today are not biodegradable. In other words, they do not readily breakdown in the environment. That means they persist for a very long time on the lake bottom and can be picked up by fish and other aquatic life, and mistakenly eaten as food. This can seriously harm the ability of these animals to feed and grow. The physical presence of the lures on the lake bottom also cover important habitat and may release chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates are cancer causing and can affect reproductive capability.

So what’s the big deal, a few lures here and there seems miniscule compared to the amount of water that is open to fishing. It may not seem like an issue but Maine has nearly 250,000 anglers, and with the increased popularity of fishing with soft plastic lures and a 7-month fishing season, these persistent pollutants can accumulate.

It is said that the bottom of Lake Okeechobee, a popular fishing lake in Florida, is coated with enough soft plastic lures to make a pile large enough to cushion a tank dropped from a plane! There may not be the same magnitude of a problem here in Maine at this time, but it may only take a few more years for some of the more heavily fished lakes to start significantly accumulating these soft plastics.

The good news is that you don’t need to stop fishing with these effective lures to help to deal with this problem. Several companies are now offering biodegradable versions that in some cases may be even more effective than original soft plastics. Companies like Advanced Angler Technology (AAT), Berkley and Food Source Lures produce baits that can break down in as little as three weeks. Some of them can also be safely eaten by fish with no ill effects. The prices for the lures are also very competitive with current soft plastics. If your local supplier does not stock biodegradable lures, request that they order some for you. In the meantime, the lures are readily available from online suppliers. If you are a member of one of Maine’s fishing clubs, suggest that the use of biodegradable lures become club policy and that the club work with local suppliers to ensure that they stock them in their stores.

Anglers have always been known as advocates for clean water. Switching to biodegradable lures will continue that tradition and will ensure that future generations will be able to continue to enjoy Maine’s precious water resources.

This column was submitted by Bill Laflamme, an Environmental Specialist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. In Our Back Yard is a weekly column of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. E-mail your environmental questions to infodep@maine.gov or send them to In Our Back Yard, Maine DEP, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.
From the Department of Environmental Protection, State of Maine – http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=IOB&id=41264&v=Article

From Apollo Beach to West Palm Beach, Florida communities took advantage of great weather, children’s curiosity, and good fishing to hold fishing summer camps, clinics, derbys, trips, and tournaments.

During these events, children built self-esteem learning new skills, met new friends, and discovered new things about the environment around them. As one child said, “there are some crazy fish out here; they are big, really big!” For many of the kids, activities like learning to cast, touching a horseshoe crab, baiting their hook, and boating were first time experiences.

The kids aren’t the only ones who enjoyed the experience. Over 1,000 volunteers joined the children to share their love of fishing and the environment. They did it to build better citizens and to introduce kids to the great outdoors and their favorite sport. Families benefitted too by sharing an activity they can do together.