How to save the pelicans on the Skyway fishing pier | Editorial
Florida has long prided itself as the fishing capital of the world, but that popularity has an ugly flip side — the suffering of pelicans and other seabirds that are injured or killed after becoming entangled in fishing gear.
That cruelty is particularly evident in Tampa Bay, where since January 2021, at least 3,300 seabirds required rescue at Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, a popular angling spot next to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Of those needing rescue, at least 500 died and 1,000 needed veterinary care, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. And this despite an even more concerted effort in recent years to protect these seabirds, primarily brown pelicans, from harm.
State wildlife experts have tried for years to reduce these entanglements through greater public outreach and education, but to little avail, as the Tampa Bay Times’ Max Chesnes reported recently. The only bright spot is that the carnage has prodded the state to consider even more ways to confront the problem, which as anyone could guess, has caused something of a tug-of-war between preservationists and anglers.
The wildlife commission is considering prohibiting fishing gear with more than one hook, like treble hooks and sabiki rigs, and limiting anglers to no more than three sets of hook-and-line gear within the park. While some anglers complain this is overreach, the restrictions are reasonable and overdue. The changes could help reduce the number of birds being hooked in the first place, and make it easier for anglers to free a hooked bird. It also would reduce the chance for accidents, as the angler hauling five or six poles to the pier cannot responsibly tend to them all. The state commission is expected to consider the proposals in February.
But even these steps can’t compete without educating anglers and better policing. Many entanglements are not accidents at all, but the result of anglers carelessly throwing their lines without regard to their surroundings. The state and conservation groups offer some simple tips to anglers for protecting seabirds, which we are publishing here as graphics, but remember a few basics: Judge the wind, look both ways before casting and always use appropriate weight on your tackle. And learn how to unhook a bird if need be; it’s not hard and doesn’t take long. Anglers have a responsibility to avoid these entanglements and to know what to do if they occur.
Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.
