NAGS HEAD, N.C. — The sounds of good old-fashioned camaraderie — a drill cutting into plastic, equipment being assembled — could all be heard at Jim Troutman's house on Tuesday. Gathered around a table were members of the Outer Banks Anglers Club, building devices to tackle an environmental issue in our waterways.
"The purpose of this is to collect the monofilament, the fishing line that is discarded, sometimes in gnarled knots, and keep it out of the waterways, keep it off the beaches. It does impact our wildlife, it can get wrapped around propellers, and these anglers have boats, and they don't want that to happen. So this is a great opportunity for people to have a place to distribute it, store it," said Debbie Swick, a member of the club.
News 3 has introduced you to Swick in the past on her efforts to ban mass balloon releases in North Carolina. She's now teaming up with fellow members of the Anglers Club for this mission.
"To be able to utilize my membership with this wonderful club and these wonderful people that are in it to do something that positively gives back to the environment and the community, was a win, win," said Swick.
What the club was building is called a "monofilament recovery and recycling vessel" — basically a large tube built out of PVC pipe and other plastic pieces. It's meant to be a place for people to discard their fishing line so it does not get out into our waterways.
"If the turtles get tangled up in this line that's been thrown overboard, it can be detrimental to them. So that's another reason for setting these up," said Jim Troutman, current member and past president of the club.
The Outer Banks Anglers Club is spearheading these efforts and placing 20 devices at piers and marinas around the Outer Banks. But once a device is full, the mission doesn't stop there.
"We will collect it. We ship it back to Berkley Line in Iowa once we have a full box. They are going to turn it into either tackle boxes, or they'll recycle it into a fishing nursery, which is similar to a coral reef, place for the little bait fish and the baby fish to hide out in the ocean. So it's kind of a full circle thing," said Swick.
The club is casting its line into an important environmental issue facing the area. It will start by installing the 20 devices and hopes to grow its mission from there around the Outer Banks.
"The anglers club is going to be responsible. We are going to collect it on a regular basis, make sure that they are well maintained and if need be, replaced. So we're looking forward to being a part in a positive way," said Swick.
The club is funding these efforts entirely out of its own budget.
"We've taken it out of our treasury because it's a worthwhile endeavor and investment. It's an investment in our beaches and the beaches for the visitors as well," said Swick.
For more information on the club's efforts, head to their website here. The Outer Banks Anglers Club meets the last Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Pitts Center in Southern Shores. All are welcome to visit or join.
