Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 39

Impacts of Fishing Line and Other Litter
by Deborah Weisberg
During cleanup of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, a canoe barge was crafted and used to transport heavy debris out of a shallow water inlet.
photo-Melissa Rohm

Dave Miko has seen a lot of strange sights as Division of Fisheries Management chief for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC). But, few compare to the hourglass-shaped trout he has encountered on streams, where they have grown around plastic bottleneck rings that someone tossed into the water. “I have seen it twice when I was electrofishing, so it probably happens even more,” said Miko. “I cut the rings and hoped for the best, but it’s sad and disturbing.” More often, angler and boater carelessness takes other forms, as evidenced by bait cups, plastic water bottles and tangled fishing lines that blight stream banks and lake shores. It takes thousands of years for petroleum-based plastics to biodegrade; they can remain in fisheries forever. And, while direct environmental impacts are devastating enough, litter can come back to haunt people, too, since it’s the number one reason landowners post property, according to PFBC Education Manager Carl Richardson. “Landowners tell us litter is the tipping point in deciding to cut off public access to streams.” Since 2008, anglers have lost about one trout stocked stream section in Pennsylvania each year, bringing the total number of posted miles to an all-time high.
PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com

It has spurred some conservationists to try to avert more losses. According to trout guide George Daniel of TCO Fly Shop in State College, Trout Unlimited chapters in central Pennsylvania have stepped up landowner outreach efforts as fishing pressure mounts on Penn’s Creek, the Little Juniata River and other blue-ribbon streams. On Lake Erie, the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association and other groups make litter pickups and goodwill gestures towards landowners a major part of their mission. With PFBC spending millions of dollars to acquire easements on Elk Creek, Walnut Creek and other popular fisheries, this kind of private-sector support helps lay the groundwork for future access purchases. “Property owners complain about litter and lack of respect for their land,” said Steve Brugger, owner of Lake Erie Ultimate Angler and a past president of the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association. “It’s ironic, because we’re outdoorsmen and should be good stewards.” Aside from helping fund the fruit baskets that Gem City Outdoorsmen distribute to more than 50 landowners at Christmas time each year, Brugger’s shop takes part in massive stream cleanups held annually just before steelhead season. “We each get a zone. Ours was the Walnut Creek
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January/February 2013

39


http://www.fishandboat.com

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013
Straight Talk
Table of Contents
Secrets of Solid Fishing for Crappies
Tying the Scud
Your Fishing Field Guide
Transitioning to Fly Fishing
Mercer and Venango Counties on Ice
Tip-up Fishing for Pike and Pickerel
Make Your Own Rabbit Hair Jig
Not Working, Try Something Different
Notes from the Stream
Lively Larvae
Commission Fish Stocking Volunteers: A History of Dedication
Take Your Ice Shanty to the Next Level
10 Tips for Safe Ice Fishing
Ice Safety Thickness Chart
Homegrown Fishing Lures
Reflecting on the Water
Impacts of Fishing Line and Other Litter
Ohio River Sauger and Walleye
Winter PLAY Newsletter
Finding the Right Powerboat
Pennsylvania’s Not-so-bland Blanding’s Turtle
Deputy Waterways Conservation Officer Graduation
Currents
Angler’s Notebook
Fishin’ from the Kitchen
Cast & Caught
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - CT1
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - CT2
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Straight Talk
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 4
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Table of Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Secrets of Solid Fishing for Crappies
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 7
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 8
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Tying the Scud
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Your Fishing Field Guide
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 11
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Transitioning to Fly Fishing
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 13
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Mercer and Venango Counties on Ice
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 15
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 16
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Tip-up Fishing for Pike and Pickerel
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 18
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 19
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Make Your Own Rabbit Hair Jig
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 21
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Not Working, Try Something Different
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 23
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Notes from the Stream
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 25
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Lively Larvae
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 27
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Commission Fish Stocking Volunteers: A History of Dedication
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 29
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Take Your Ice Shanty to the Next Level
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 31
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 10 Tips for Safe Ice Fishing
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 33
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Ice Safety Thickness Chart
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Homegrown Fishing Lures
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 36
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 37
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Reflecting on the Water
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Impacts of Fishing Line and Other Litter
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 40
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 41
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Ohio River Sauger and Walleye
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 43
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 44
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Winter PLAY Newsletter
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 46
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 47
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 48
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 49
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 50
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 51
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Finding the Right Powerboat
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 53
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Pennsylvania’s Not-so-bland Blanding’s Turtle
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 55
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Deputy Waterways Conservation Officer Graduation
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Currents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 58
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 59
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 60
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 61
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 62
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Fishin’ from the Kitchen
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - Cast & Caught
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - CT3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - CT4
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