TackleDirect is proud to support the South Jersey Chapter of The Surfrider Foundation in a nationwide effort to collect and recycle discarded fishing line before it becomes a threat to wildlife and humans.

Berkley Line Company and the Ocean City Fishing Club (OCFC) joins TackleDirect and The Surfrider Foundation by agreeing to recycle the line and install a receptacle for monofilament and other types of fishing line on a rail near the end of OCFC’s 635-foot pier, respectively.

Volunteers from the foundation will empty and clean the receptacle on a regular basis, and the line will be shipped to the Berkely Line Company in Spirit Lake, Iowa, for recycling.

Club president Augie Conte Jr. said that protecting the environment was one of the OCFC’s founding principles when it was established in 1913.

“We’ve long been aware of the environmental danger posed by anglers who carelessly throw away fishing line,” Conte said. “Our members welcome this opportunity to be part of an important recycling project.”

Bill Stuempfig, of Surfrider’s South Jersey chapter, pointed out that monofilament fishing line takes about 500 years to degrade. He said the line recycling program is part of the organization’s goal “to engage the community in protecting the bay and ocean from pollution, and to keep areas clean and safe.”

Surfrider South Jersey and Egg Harbor Township-based TackleDirect are partners in purchasing and installing the receptacles, and in sending collected line to Berkley.