How to fish responsibly

Fishing is a great way to have fun, relax and enjoy the great outdoors, but it also comes with a set of responsibilities to make sure you are taking care of the environment and keeping yourself safe.

Some people like to fish off piers, while others prefer to take a boat out on the water.

• If you decide to take a boat out, keep in mind that your boat can cause damage underwater.
• Using a propeller in shallow water can chop up vegetation on the floor of the lake or pond that fish need for food.
• Propellers can also be dangerous to marine life, so be sure to follow posted warnings about shallow waters and try to keep the use of your propellers to a minimum.

Your fishing gear is also important to the safety of marine life.

• Be careful not to discard anything in the water and try to retrieve as much of your gear as possible.
• Lost sinkers can end up on shore and be hazardous to birds who mistake them for food, and discarded fishing lines can be harmful to wildlife.

Most public fishing areas require a license of some sort in order to fish.

• The fees you pay for the license help to keep the area clean and safe for marine life and for you.
• Make sure you check with your local fishing area to understand which type of license you need to fish there.

Whether you plan to keep the fish you catch or release them back into the water, be careful how you handle the fish you catch.

• If you are keeping fish, only keep the ones you will actually use.
• If you are throwing the fish back, be careful with how you release them back into the water.

Keeping the waters safe and clean is a big part of our responsibility as humans. Be kind to the environment and to marine life so that you can keep on enjoying the sport of fishing for years to come.