Eco-Friendly Fishing – Is It Possible?

If you’ve decided to live an eco-friendly life but you still find yourself checking out specific equipment such as a cool-looking underwater camera for ice fishing, then you might not realize that your fishing passion isn’t exactly as friendly as you might have thought.

While it’s true that most environmentally-friendly efforts are put in place to protect wildlife, you can still enjoy a fishing trip once in a while, provided that you follow all the legal requirements, get the necessary permits, and make sure that you take additional measures to have as little an impact as possible.

Many experienced anglers are already familiar with the ways in which they can fish without putting too much pressure on the environment. And this is a great thing because if every fisher would follow some small guidelines while out on the water, the results would be substantially positive on a global level.

So let’s take a look at some of the main guidelines you can keep in mind to enjoy a day out fishing from time to time without worrying that the impact on the environment is too big.

The tackle

The first thing you should do is take a look at the material out of which your tackle is made of. Lead has been the go-to option for a long time for these items, but if the lead level gets too high in a body of water, it can end up poisoning the living creatures in it. You can and should switch over to green-fishing equipment.

These alternatives use either steel or tin, as well as biodegradable lines. Next, you need to think about what you are going to do with the fish once you catch it. While it’s true that a nice meal made with freshly-caught fish is delicious, you should never take home more than you can consume.

Any leftovers can be used to create compost for the garden with the right tools, so keep this in mind as well. However, overfishing is one of the major problems associated with this activity, so make sure that this is not the case.

Bait can also be an issue if you take too much with you. You should use only as much as you need, as various types of bait foreign to a body of water can end up affecting the local ecosystem if they are used in excess. With this being said, it’s true that live bait is a better option than plastic alternatives that can end up on riverbeds.

Other tips and tricks

Always choose rowing the boat over having a motorized option. This means you get to work out a bit too, while the carbon emissions are significantly reduced. If, however, rowing is not an option, you should always ask what the local guidelines are so that you know in which areas you can safely take the boat without disturbing the natural habitat.

This goes without saying, but you should always take all used materials such as fishing line and other items at the end of the day. Of course, plastic rings or bags are a big concern, given that wildlife can get rather quickly caught in these, so they need to leave with you and be properly recycled.

A closer look at the dissoluble line

While this is no longer something new on the market, it’s important to mention that dissoluble lines were a major success at their time. Such innovations can definitely make a difference on a global level if fishermen choose to use them.

Lines lost in water are an issue, given that fish and marine animals can easily get tangled in them, so the fact that even if one is lost, this is not going to be such a big issue, is crucial for the wildlife. The time it takes for such a line to dissolve depends on various factors, such as water temperature.

This means that before you go on your fishing trip, you can research the available lines for a bit and see which alternative is the most suitable one for your area. You can always ask someone at a specialized local shop for more information on how to keep your fishing adventures as eco-friendly as possible.