How Is Wildlife Affected By Monofilament Line?

Entanglement

Animals can become fatally entangled in monofilament.

· While the animal is struggling the line tightens and cuts into the animal's flesh. These cuts often become fatally infected.

· An entangled animal often cannot move freely or feed itself and will starve to death.

· Entangled marine animals are trapped underwater and drown.

Young fledgling birds can become tangled in line when their parents use pieces of monofilament line to construct the nest.

Ingestion

Animals eat strands of monofilament line.

· Tangled balls of monofilament in the animal's gut obstruct digestion.

· Monofilament fills an animal's stomach and prevents it from feeling hunger. In this situation the animal starves to death.

· Chemicals in nylon monofilament may poison the animal.

· Large game fish, birds, and dolphin sometimes consume line and fishing gear trailing off of a previously hooked fish, which causes internal and external injuries subject to infection.

Sea Turtles are known to ingest monofilament. The CMC reports finding a turtle with 590 feet of fishing line in its gut. "Turtles may be attracted to floating semi- transparent plastic material that is mistaken for jellyfish. Plastics can lodge in the turtle's intestines, causing death or decreasing absorption from their gut." (Gramentz, 1988)

Entanglement in monofilament is well documented for sea turtles. Fishing line wrapped around a flipper will cut into the skin and cause potentially fatal infections and can amputate the limb. A turtle can become tangled in line at the sea floor and drown when it is unable to swim to the surface for a breath of air.

The endangered Florida manatee ingests monofilament while feeding in sea grass beds. Pieces of line once consumed lead to intestinal impactions and entangled small intestines that result in death. "As of 1997 entanglement outdid boats as the number one reason for rescues of manatees" (Ann Spellman, Marine Mammal Entanglement Team, 2001.)

Discarded monofilament line wraps around manatees' flippers and often leads to serious infection, amputation (see photo at left showing an amputated flipper), or death. "Numerous free-ranging manatees have missing or scarred flippers from entanglements, or debris still encircling one or both flippers." (Siriwong et al., 1991)

Dolphins, although nimble and highly intelligent, still become victims of monofilament ingestion and entanglement. When a dolphin catches a fish trailing a hook and line the dolphin will eat the fish and monofilament debris. Hooks and line have been found in dolphin stomachs and regularly documented by scientists.

At left is an image of a dolphin's tail after it was entangled in monofilament. The deep scars from the line are very clear. Infection from this type of entanglement is not hard to imagine. A greater incidence of entanglement can be expected with the continued rapid development of Florida and the increase in debris pollution.

Birds that feed on fish such as osprey, cormorants, and herons will ingest monofilament incidentally as they consume their prey (pictured to right). Others that scavenge for food such as gulls and vultures may eat potent smelling line right out of the landfill. It is important to cut fishing line into small pieces if you are throwing it out in the trash.

Pelicans, seagulls, and herons, are the most commonly entangled birds. Anyone who fishes on a regular basis has probably seen at least one entangled bird. Entanglement leads to infection, limb amputation, and restricted ability to fly and hunt for food which will eventually lead to starvation. To learn how to handle an entangled pelican...click here.

There are many types of wildlife that become entangled in monofilament, just a few have been highlighted here. MRRP is interested in hearing from about unusual wildlife you have assisted or have witnessed being entangled.

Please write us an e-mail highlighting your encounters.