A resident wants monofilament fishing line trash cans put on Ocean Beach Pier to protect wildlife and the environment.
“I made a proposal to the OB Town Council to put monofilament fishing line trash cans on the OB Pier and they approved the project,” said Sarah Harron, who talked about her impetus for the project.
“I became passionate about this problem during quarantine,” she said, “To break the monotony, I would work on an open bench on the OB Pier.
“This space offered me a spot of peace and a creative outlet … I began an illustrated diary about the time I spent there. The slow time offered me an opportunity to connect to the pier’s birds and see things that wouldn’t have wholly registered otherwise.”
Added Harron: “But with the good stuff came the horrible. I would notice lines wrapped around pigeons’ legs and helplessly watch their limbs painfully wither away. One pigeon trusted me enough to let me untangle a line from their little leg. It might sound silly, but in my life, that will go down as a huge triumph. I looked into this problem, thinking it would be way too complicated and big to solve. But the beauty, and tragedy, of this issue, is it’s pretty easy and straightforward to solve.”
Corey Bruins, OB Town Council president, said the group was impressed with Harron’s proposal. “The OBTC is excited to support and platform projects initiated and driven by community members, including the fishing line recycle project that Sarah is spearheading,” he said. “Our neighborhood is at its best when each of us takes a few things we care about and act.”
Harron believes she’s found just the right solution: monofilament trash cans. “While there are so many things that seem out of reach and out of control – this isn’t,” she noted.
Fishing line poses the greatest threat to the entirety of the beach’s environment for four reasons: it’s unsightly; it kills wildlife, birds, fish, and seals are at great risk of entanglement leading to amputated limbs, strangulation, and ultimately death; it gets in waterways, and it becomes part of the food chain.
Fishing line consumed by San Diego sea life retains chemical properties that remain in the food chain as microplastics, and pose future health risks for all consumers, including humans.
Harron is imploring the beach community to take action to protect the environment.
“It’s a shame there is hardly any city or state support for installing and maintaining these types of trash cans,” she said. “But I know Ocean Beach can do this. We could also be an example to help inspire others too. The good news is the OBTC wants to help and approved this project. We just need to figure out the funding parts and logistics, and wholeheartedly welcome all help with this important project.”
Harron can be contacted at [email protected].
