Fishing Responsibly & A W.I.L.D. Cleaning In Prospect Park

The Brooklyn Paper ran a story yesterday about three Prospect Park swans found hooked with barbed lures over the weekend. While the park makes it easy to dispose safely of fishing line, and barbed lures are illegal in New York State, the publication says that the Prospect Park Alliance lacks the authority to enforce regulations.

So, we thought we’d try and clear up park rules for any local fishers who might not be familiar. Info via prospectpark.org:

• Fishing is “catch and release” only. Once a fish is caught, remove the hook and return it to the Lake unharmed.
• The use of barbed hooks is prohibited by New York State Law.
• Anglers must respect the habitats and nesting grounds of birds and waterfowl.
• Leave fishing sites clear of all debris.
• Careless disposal of fishing line poses extreme hazards to birds and small animals. Hooks are especially dangerous to children and wildlife.
• Dispose of fishing line in a labeled fishing line recycling containers (black PVC tubes installed around the watercourse), or carry out of the Park to be disposed of properly in closed garbage containers.
• Sinkers, weights or splitshot that are made out of lead are prohibited. Lead items are extremely harmful to the environment. Please use those made of tin instead.
• Never hold a fish by the underside of its gills. Please refer to this website for instructions on handling fish.

Anglers over the age of 16 must have a license to fish in Prospect Park. These can be obtained through the Department of Environmental Conservation, or at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle.

Though the park doesn’t have any of their awesome educational fishing clinics scheduled for the immediate future, W.I.L.D. is hosting a Shoreline Cleanup starting at the Audubon Center next Saturday, June 22, at 2pm to help protect the animals and clear debris from the watercourse.