Improperly disposed of monofilament fishing line is an indiscriminate killer of birds and other wildlife.

I received this sad news from PAWS about birds continuing to be entangled in monofilament fishing line. A Bald Eagle fledgling died last week at a nest site at Magnolia Park after becoming entangled. They also just received a Bald Eagle fledgling that got tangled up in fishing line in a nest in SeaTac. The bird was probably tangled for many weeks and caused the bone in the tibiotarsus to grow around the line. He also has lost function in that foot. A cormorant was also seen hanging dead by monofilament line from a tree this spring near the Washington Park Arboretum.

If you use monofilament fishing line, please dispose of it properly in a safe container so that birds and other wildlife do not pick it up or become entangled in it. There are now many fishing line recycling bins located throughout the state.

If you fishing or not and you see improperly discarded fishing line, please pick it up and dispose of it safely. Docks, trees, and shorelines are frequently littered with fishing line.

And, if you are at a fishing area and there is not a fishing line recycling bin, please contact the park, property owner, or WDFW and ask that a fishing line recycling bin be installed.

These easy steps will help to protect our feathered friends, other wildlife, and the environment from harm. It takes over 600 years for monofilament fishing line to break down.

Diane Weinstein
Sammamish

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