title: Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) killed and injured by discarded monofilament lines at a marine recreational fishery in northern Patagonia.
abstract: Among marine debris, monofilament fishing lines often result in negative impacts on marine organisms. We characterized marine debris and incidence of lost and discarded monofilament lines along beaches used by recreational fishers, and report the impact of lines on Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) at the Bahía San Blas protected area, site of one of the main shore-based recreational fisheries of the southwestern Atlantic. Over 55% of the marine debris recorded originated from recreational fishing activities. Balls of tangled monofilament lines were found at a rate of 40.5 items per km. A total of 27 adult Kelp Gulls were found entangled with monofilament. All individuals were tangled to vegetation within colony boundaries. Four of the gulls had a monofilament line protruding from the bill, showing that they may be also killed when trying to obtain bait. Our results indicate that lost or discarded monofilament lines in the Bahía San Blas recreational fishing area result in undesired impacts on coastal wildlife.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 2915, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina; Wildlife Conservation Society Argentina, Amenábar 1595, Piso 2, Of. 19, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: yorio@cenpat.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yorio
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 2915, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marinao
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 2915, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
authors.forename: Nicolás
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suárez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001118:Argentina; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D005398:Fisheries; D005399:Fishes; D005843:Geography; D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Bahía San Blas; Kelp Gull; Marine debris; Monofilament fishing lines; Recreational fisheries; Wildlife mortality