Category Archives: fishing regulations

Monofilament Recycling Danger

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Recycling fishing line is a great idea. It prevents wildlife from dieing or being injured by getting tangled in discarded line, a process that can sometimes be slow and painful.

Unfortunately, the most common kind of monofilament fishing line recycling bin — a PVC pipe capped with an elbow, is creating its own danger to wildlife, the Missouri Department of Conservation has revealed. Cavity nesting birds are entering the pipes, getting tangled in the fishing line, and dying.

In other places, uncapped PVC pipes, used as boundary markers and in irrigation systems are trapping and killing birds and lizards. We’ve written about that before. (Here.)

That the elbow-capped pipes are also a danger is a surprise. Kudos to the Missouri Department of Conservation for retro-fitting its monofilament recycling bins with a rubber covering over the opening– and especially for getting the word out on the danger of this design.

-Read the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) press release, here.
-Get all the details on the MDC blog. (It includes a video)
-More information is available from the MDC’s Stream Team, here.
The press release includes a link to more info from Audubon California. Find it here.

 Photo of dead tree swallows above courtesy of Dianne Fieri

Ashe: Exotics Are the States’ Job

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The recent incident in Ohio, where a man released many of his exotic animal pets (including large carnivores) and then shot himself, will not lead to any changes in federal regulations of exotics, said Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at an informal talk at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Miami last week.

“Exotic pets will continue to be regulated by the states,” Ashe said. He added that the states have traditionally played the lead role in regulating exotic pets, and that they should continue to fill that role.

You certainly know your own state’s regulations, but do you know how they compare to the regulations in other states?

According to Born Free USA, West Virginia and Wyoming have no regulations on possessing exotic animals. States with some regulation, but without a license or permit requirement include Alabama, Idaho and South Carolina. In Ohio, the site says, “No person may bring into the state a non-domestic animal unless the possessor: obtains an entry permit; health certificate certifying the animal is free of infectious diseases; and a certificate of veterinary inspection. Persons in the state possessing non-domestic animals do not need to obtain a permit.”

For more information on what the requirements in those states are, see the state by state listing at Born Free USA Web site.

Photo: Dan Ashe at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference. State Wildlife Research News. Click here for terms of use.

Banning felt waders

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Maryland, Vermont, and Alaska are the first states to ban felt-bottomed fishing waders in an effort to slow the spread of the algae known as didymo, and other invasive species. (Well, the Alaskan ban doesn’t take effect until next year, but it is on the books.)

Idaho and Oregon tried to ban felt waders, but the legislation didn’t pass, reports this USA Today story on the wader ban. Nevada will consider a ban as part of an invasive species plan, the article says.

Missouri has taken another route. It is using wader washers at the state’s four trout parks. Read all about it in the Missouri Department of Conservation press release. Info about the wader wash stations is half-way down, below the list of phone numbers. One Ozark skeptic opines here, but gives many more details about Missouri’s attempt to slow didymo by educating anglers.

Photo: What’s on your waders? A biologist conducts a fisheries survey in Wyoming. Courtesy US Fish and Wildlife Service

Spring research round-up

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Black duck
The New York State Department of Envirnmental Conservation and the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (located at Cornell University) are conducting two black bear research projects in south-central New York this season. One study will estimate bear population density using a genetic (DNA) identification technique. The other will study bear movements and habitat selection in core bear ranges and fringe areas. Read more.
Also this spring, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program is teaming up with Montclair State University and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey for the state’s first broad-based scientific study of chytrid fungus. The study seeks to find out if chytrid fungus is having an impact on the state’s amphibian populations. More info from the State of New Jersey.
This winter the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Department studied black ducks along the state’s coast. The department is concerned about the birds because their numbers have been declining. Read about the study in this article from the Cape Codder, via the WickedLocal Eastham blog. The study will continue for three more years.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife recently completed catfish research in the Wabash River. There had been no harvest limits on large catfish in the state, and the public had expressed concerns about fishing pressure. The state is looking into regulating the fishery. Some info on the regs from the Indiana General Assembly. A report on catfish in the Wabash River.
Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Dept.