FWC: Recycling fishing lines can help avoid harm to marine life

FLORIDA KEYS (FOX 13) - Two manatees were rescued down in the Florida Keys after they were found entangled in fishing lines.

One was found near Marathon in June and the other near Key Largo earlier in July. In both cases, volunteers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Miami Seaquarium and the Dolphin Research Center worked to rehabilitate the manatees, remove the line and release them back into the water.

FWC shared images on social media of the manatees, and the tighly-wrapped lines around them flippers.

“Please do your part to prevent entanglements such as these from occurring by recycling all monofilament fishing line into a monofilament recycling bin,” the agency wrote on its Facebook page.

Anyone who may need information on FWC’s Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program or even recycling bin locations, can head to their website: mrrp.myfwc.com.