Staff report

Kachemak Bay Birders holds its Ninth Annual Fish Line Cleanup from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Homer Spit. Volunteers will meet by the Nick Dudiak sign to start. Bags will be provided, but volunteers should bring their own gloves. 

Some volunteers also will collect trash in separate bags. Fish line is recycled through Reel In and Recycle, a program the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies sponsors.

Volunteers who prefer to pick up fish line on another day or time can put collected fish line in the fish line receptacle at the fishing hole.The receptacle is made of white plastic and looks like a periscope.




“Birds die unnecessarily when they become entangled, but it’s preventable, and you can help!” said volunteer Lani Raymond in a press release. “This effort is well worth our time. Many of us will attest to finding entangled birds on the beaches we monitor for COASST. And, last summer there was the totally unnecessary death of a crane colt in the slough because it had become entangled in fish line.”

Established in 1999, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) is a citizen science project housed at the University of Washington and focused on the beach environment of the northeast Pacific.  Volunteers in Homer conduct monthly surveys of about 12 beaches year round.

All Kachemak Bay Birding trips and events are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. All trips are free, and everyone is welcome to attend. Jim Herbert is the coordinator. Direct questions to Lani Raymond, 907-399-9477.