Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) killed and injured by discarded monofilament lines at a marine recreational fishery in northern Patagonia
Among marine debris, monofilament fishing lines often result in negative impacts on marine organisms. We characterized marine debris and incidence of lost and discarded monofilament lines along beaches used by recreational fishers, and report the impact of lines on Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) at...
| Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2014 |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Institution: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repository: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/36662 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/36662 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | BahÍA San Blas Kelp Gull Marine Debris Monofilament Fishing Lines Recreational Fisheries Wildlife Mortality https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 |
| Summary: | Among marine debris, monofilament fishing lines often result in negative impacts on marine organisms. We characterized marine debris and incidence of lost and discarded monofilament lines along beaches used by recreational fishers, and report the impact of lines on Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) at the Bahía San Blas protected area, site of one of the main shore-based recreational fisheries of the southwestern Atlantic. Over 55% of the marine debris recorded originated from recreational fishing activities. Balls of tangled monofilament lines were found at a rate of 40.5 items per km. A total of 27 adult Kelp Gulls were found entangled with monofilament. All individuals were tangled to vegetation within colony boundaries. Four of the gulls had a monofilament line protruding from the bill, showing that they may be also killed when trying to obtain bait. Our results indicate that lost or discarded monofilament lines in the Bahía San Blas recreational fishing area result in undesired impacts on coastal wildlife. |
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