The 17th Annual Monofilament Cleanup Day, sponsored by Tampa Bay Watch and Audubon of Florida, will take place on Saturday, October 16th. Each year, thousands of feet of fishing line become entangled on Tampa Bay’s colonial bird nesting islands and shorelines and pose a fatal hazard to birds and other wildlife. This cleanup event helps to reduce the threat of entanglement while recycling the fishing line.

“Our annual clean up mobilizes the people who love and use the bay the most to help us clear important nesting habitat of dangerous fishing line.” said Ann Hodgson, Audubon’s Gulf Coast Research Director. “This event is a great way for folks to be good stewards of Tampa Bay, and save a lot of birds in the process.”

Monofilament fishing line is a significant mortality factor in bird colonies. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists have identified monofilament fishing line as the number one killer of adult brown pelicans. Although estimates of the total annual impact are very imprecise, hundreds and possibly thousands of birds die annually in Florida from this unnecessary cause. “The birds face increasing pressures from habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation; removing monofilament is an easy way to help their chance of survival,” said Audubon of Florida Field Biologist Mark Rachal.

A wide variety of birds are affected by fishing line, including those that nest in trees (pelicans, cormorants, anhingas, herons and egrets, ibis, and spoonbills) and others that nest on the ground (gulls, terns, skimmers, and oystercatchers).

Tampa Bay and the Gulf coast are home to some of the most important bird nesting colonies in the state of Florida. Audubon of Florida’s Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries program monitors 50,000 breeding pairs of birds of over 30 different species; many of these species are listed by the State of Florida as “Threatened” or “Species of Special Concern.” One species, the wood stork, is federally listed as “Endangered.” Although many of the nesting and roosting sites are protected or closed to the public, monofilament fishing line often accumulates in these areas and birds unnecessarily die. If the monofilament enters the water, it can indiscriminately kill fish, dolphins, and manatees as well.

Birds may become entangled in fishing line in a number of ways. First, they may become hooked in the beak, gullet, wing, or leg when pursuing an angler’s bait or lure. If the angler cuts the line without retrieving the bird, the trailing line will eventually wrap around a wing or other body part and increasingly impair normal behavior, or it may become ensnared in a tree. Second, birds typically line their nests with fine materials, and in many cases, actually collect discarded monofilament snarls to line their nests. Nestlings or adults may become entangled in the line which is now part of the nest structure. Third, an angler may cast a line near a bird colony, snag a mangrove, and cut the line when unable to retrieve it. The line hangs over the canopy, becoming an invisible snare. In all of these cases, the outcome is fatal for the birds. Sometimes monofilament line stretched across a colony may entangle many birds over a period of time. It is likely that several hundred birds die each year from entanglement in fishing line in the Tampa Bay area alone.

“The annual monofilament cleanup is a great way for community members to get involved in helping the environment, all while spending a day on the water,” Tampa Bay Watch Environmental Specialist Kevin Misiewicz explains. “Volunteers just let us know where they usually launch their boat and we can identify islands in that area that they can remove fishing line.”

The monofilament clean up is scheduled during the fall only, outside of the main colonial waterbird nesting season for this part of Florida. Because the colonial islands are generally closed to the public, it is important that volunteers do not disturb nesting birds and contact Audubon of Florida (813-623-6826) or Tampa Bay Watch (727-867-8166) before cleaning a site to make sure they have permission to enter. It is also important for the public to understand that entering the colony islands at other times of the year may impact nesting birds, inadvertently causing injury and/or death of the chicks.

This project provides volunteers with equipment and data sheets for removing and documenting monofilament found at assigned clean up locations. Additionally, volunteers are instructed on how to free entangled live birds they may encounter during the cleanup and where to transport the injured bird.

Please contact Kevin Misiewicz at 727-867-8166 and kmisiewicz@tampabaywatch.org or Mark Rachal at 813-623-6826 and mrachal@audubon.org if you would like more information about the Monofilament Clean Up.

Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) stewardship program dedicated exclusively to the charitable and scientific purpose of protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary encompassing over 400 square miles of open water and 2,300 square miles of highly- developed watershed. Tampa Bay Watch involves more than 10,000 youth and adult volunteers each year in hands on habitat restoration projects. For more information, visit www.tampabaywatch.org, or call 727-867-8166.

Audubon of Florida and the National Audubon Society are dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Audubon’s national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation. For more information, please visit www.audubon.org or www.audubonofflorida.org.