1.2m km of fishing line used in UK annually

 25th July 2018 A recent online survey has revealed valuable insights into the habits and preferences of anglers in relation to fishing line usage. Conducted jointly by the Local Independent Sea Anglers (LISA) and Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) in light of the newly established line recycling scheme across the UK, over 1000 anglers were quizzed. Over half of the participants use 1000m+ of line a year, with almost a third using twice that. Assuming there are around one million regular anglers in the UK (based on current data) this equates to an average of 1, 245,000 km and approx. 175 tonnes of fishing line used per year! Almost two-thirds said they would be prepared to pay a ‘bit more’ for tackle purchases to subsidise a line recycling scheme, which opens up the possibility for tackle shops and or manufacturers to offset the costs of recycling line. Nylon monofilament is a type of plastic which can take 600 years to break down (it never degrades fully) and there is a clear need to address the issue. Over 90% of anglers asked said they disposed of their old line via household waste bins (landfill) or direct burning to prevent wildlife entanglement. 3.6% commented that they currently recycle their line, mainly at stores now participating in the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS)stores and it is hoped this figure continues to rise in the years to come. The ANLRS is the first UK-wide fishing line recycling scheme launched (by LISA) in March 2018 and run on a voluntary basis. To date over 120 UK tackle shops and businesses have agreed to take part in the novel recycling scheme to reduce plastic waste. In recent weeks a number of Irish and Northern Irish tackle shops have also signed up for the scheme. You can read the full report here: https://www.anglers-nlrs.co.uk/survey