"Montana Sportsmen Join Forces with
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
to Reduce Negative Impacts of
Discarded Monofilament Fishing Line"

Contact:
Craig Sharpe, MWF, 1-800-517-7256
Chris Hunter, FWP, 406-444-3183

Helena, MT. - Montana's oldest and largest state-wide organization of hunters, anglers and recreationists, Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF), has teamed up with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to help clean up recreation areas and reduce wildlife losses associated with improperly discarded monofilament fishing line.

Monofilament fishing line can last hundreds of years in the environment and when disposed of improperly entangles fish, bald eagles, osprey, waterfowl, and even pets. Left on the shoreline, monofilament can also be hazardous to swimmers and divers as well as a source of irritation for other anglers and landowners. MWF and FWP are embarking on a project to offer an alternative, the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program. The program includes recovery containers built by MWF Board members that will be installed at popular fishing access sites and recover bins at sporting goods stores making it easier for fishermen to recycle when they respool
or when they need to discard line in the field.

FWP, Fisheries Department Administrator Chris Hunter, lauds the cooperative effort between the sporting community and the agency, "Several states have successfully implemented similar programs and we are pleased
that MWF has come up with the idea in Montana. We'll try it out, I think it's a great idea and hopefully we'll see positive results."

Within Montana's borders are 11,000 individual waterways, 1658 square miles of inland surface waters available to nearly 380,000 anglers who experience 3 million angler/days. Montana's pilot monofilament recycling project involves the installation of 30 to 40 recycling stations constructed of PVC pipe at selected Montana State Parks and Fishing Access Sites.

Montana falls in line behind Arizona, Florida and Oregon who have instituted similar recycling programs. Like these states, Montana will work cooperatively with Pure Fishing, the Berkley Company's recycling program, who will provide the collection boxes to be located at local sporting goods stores and then remanufactures the collected monofilament into underwater, non-polluting fish habitat structures and other products; none of the recycled material is remade into fishing line. Pure Fishing has recycled 7 million miles of fishing line so far since it began its program in 1990. Its innovative recycling technique takes old discarded fishing line then sends it back underwater in a 30 pound cube form to enhance plant growth and create homes for fish!

MWF, a 6500 member organization and recipient of a National Wildlife Federation National Conservation Achievement Award for 2004, believes that responsible sportsmen and sportswomen will use this newly developed tool and be accountable for their actions on Montana's private lands and public waterways. Craig Sharpe, MWF Executive Director, has wanted to explore the possibility for many years and is very happy that FWP has agreed to help the program come to fruition. "Anglers should be leading the way for control and recovery of fishing line and other litter as a measure of being accountable and responsible for sustainable, healthy fish and wildlife while recreating on the outstanding landscapes and waterways in Montana," Sharpe stated. "Some larger sporting goods dealers already have in-store bins but what we are really focusing on are on-site collectors that FWP will help install. We are certain responsible sportsmen will choose to participate not only to clean up our waterways and access points but the program will also improve the image of conservation minded sportsmen and sportswomen. Recreational waterway users have all experienced some inconvenience associated with improperly discarded line and/or hooks. This is the first program in Montana to aggressively step forward in an attempt to resolve some of the related problems," said Sharpe.

Some of MWF's 23 affiliated sportsmen's organizations have already agreed to work with FWP to monitor the collection devices that will be installed this spring. Educational flyers are being developed for public distribution and Montana fishing license dealers will be contacted soon and asked to accept and display the recovery bins. The public education effort will soon be underway which will promote proper line disposal and publicize locations of the newly developed recycling sites.

The hazards associated with improperly discarded monofilament fishing line are not insignificant. In Arizona bald eagle nests last year alone, monofilament line was found in half of the surveyed nests; two eaglets died due to their entanglement. For more information, call Craig Sharpe at Montana Wildlife Federation, 1-800-517-7256 or 406-458-0227.

Craig Sharpe
Executive Director
Montana Wildlife Federation
(800) 517-7256
(406) 458-0227
Web-site: montanawildlife.com

This message is brought to you by the Montana Wildlife Federation ... Montana's largest, statewide wildlife conservation organization with over 7,000 members.