“It is unfortunate to hear about what has happened to the whale and should be acknowledged as a motivating reason to safeguard the natural habitat of our city’s lakes and ocean fronts,” said Schipske.
Two years ago, when a 5th district constituent brought samples of fishing line and tackle she had picked up on a morning walk around the fishing lake in El Dorado Park to a meeting called by Schipske, it became clear that something needed to be done. Not only was the City spending money to remove fishing line and tackle from the lakes, trees and garbage cans because of the litter and hazards they caused, but more and more reports of birds being found tangled up in the fishing line or caught on a hook were alarming local environmentalists.
That’s when Schipske’s Task Force on Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands sprang into action and launched a fishing line and tackle recycle program with Berkley Pure Fishing, a manufacturer of fishing line.
“Recycling tubes were placed around the lakes in El Dorado Park,” said Schipske, who patterned the program after the successful Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program in Florida. “In a matter of weeks, the tubes were filled and the contents were sent to Berkley Pure Fishing for recycling. This meant less expense for the City to clean up this problem and greater safety for birds and other wildlife.”
During this week’s press conference, Schipske stressed the importance of the environmental-educational program as being extremely crucial in protecting other marine animals, so that the future entanglement of wildlife in lakes and in the city’s surrounding ocean can be avoided. In addition, she thanked: the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine; various members of the Fifth District Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands Taskforce; and the business community— including Walmart, Kmart, Big Fish Bait and Tackle, Sport Chalet, Turner’s Outdoorsman, Del Amo Fishing Tackle, and Big 5 Sporting Goods— for their involvement in expansion of the City of Long Beach REEL Recycling Program.
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, it is estimated that fishing line and marine debris result in the death of over one million birds and 100,000 marine animals each year. People carelessly leave these materials in open trash cans, where certain animals reach in and spread the tackle around fresh-water and saltwater areas. As well, fishing lines break off in the water from being stuck in underwater rocks and coral reefs. Fishing lines and debris left on land also can make their way to sea by being washed out in storm drains. Human inaction is directly to blame for its catastrophic consequences.
In 2007, Schipske’s recycling program was launched after members of her Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands Task Force became alarmed when various migratory birds were found entangled by improperly discarded fishing lines and hooks.
For more information regarding the expansion of the Reel Recycling program, call Schipske’s office at (562) 570-6932.
