By John Zaktansky, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association
Knotted in a nest of discarded fishing line, the body of a small crayfish washed ashore near the AdamT. Memorial Damoutside of Sunbury. The corpse was among a massive pile of litter cleaned up on May 21, the first of several pick-ups at that location over a week’s time that highlight a growing issue as we head into a Memorial Day weekend where people surge to local waterways to
celebrate the unofficial start of summer. Along with the dead crayfish, the pile of garbageleftbehind–most likelybyanglers who frequent the location – included empty bait containers, fast foodwrappers, packaging from hooks and sinkers, an empty beef jerky bag and a discarded fishing license holder – along with a tangled ball of bright green fishing line. Early the next morning, on May 22, the site was littered with more trash from the night before, including a Zip-Loc bag of blood and hearts/livers likely used as bait. Five days later, on Thursday, May 27, a new pile of trash had already accumulated, including numerous soda cans, empty Styrofoam bait containers and a variety of packaging. One small location within the greater 11,000-square-mile middle Susquehanna watershed, within a week’s time, had been trashed repeatedly – a tiny microcosm of an issue literally littering waterways throughout the region. The saddest element is that this trash is most likely coming from anglers – a group of individuals typically associated with conservation of our aquatic ecosystem. A percentage of fishing license sales goes to valuable
Among the trash picked up on May 21 at the Adam T. Memorial Dam near Sunbury was this ball of bright green fishing line. programs and other efforts to protect our waterways and many anglers are active with groups such as Trout Unlimited and various watershed associations tasked with preserving the natural resources they love in the hopes of passing down a legacy of stewardship to the next generation. One of the biggest issues facing the angling industry is lack of access to quality fishing holes – mostly because landowners are restricting that access via their property due to concerns over litter and property damage. Earlier this spring, my daughter and I enjoyed fishing for trout along a stretch of the Little Shamokin Creek
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