Discarded line and lost tackle
Environment · Last reviewed 2026-08-10
Monofilament does not rot, it is nearly invisible in water, and it keeps entangling wildlife for as long as it stays where it fell.
Angling's single most visible environmental footprint is line. Monofilament and fluorocarbon are synthetic polymers that persist in the environment for a very long time — fluorocarbon considerably longer than nylon — and unlike most litter they are functionally invisible both in water and on a bank.
The harm mechanism is entanglement rather than toxicity. Birds are the most frequently reported casualties: swans, gulls, herons and waterfowl become entangled in discarded loops, and line wrapped around a leg or a beak tightens rather than loosening. Line wrapped around vegetation and structure continues to catch things indefinitely.
Lost terminal tackle adds a second mechanism. A lost rig with hooks attached is a hazard to anything that finds it, and lead weights add a toxicity problem of their own — treated separately in this catalogue.
The encouraging part of this record is that it is almost entirely solvable by individual behaviour, which is not true of most environmental problems. Line that goes into a pocket instead of onto the ground causes no harm at all, and line bins at fisheries work when they are used.
What to actually do about it
Carry a pot or a pocket for offcuts and use it every time, including for the two-centimetre tag end you have just trimmed. Those are the pieces that end up on the ground, because they are too small to feel like litter.
Retrieve what you can. A snagged rig that can be pulled free safely should be, and a length of somebody else's line caught in a bush takes ten seconds to remove.
Cut what you cannot retrieve into short lengths before disposing of it, which removes the loops that do the entangling.
Use line bins where they exist and take everything home where they do not. Recycling schemes for monofilament exist in some places and are worth using.
And set your tackle up so that a break loses as little as possible: a hooklength weaker than the main line means a snag costs you a hook rather than a whole rig with a lead on it.
Authoritative guidance
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: That discarded line and tackle are recognised as a significant source of wildlife entanglement, and the practical measures anglers are asked to take.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost and discarded synthetic fishing gear is a recognised category of marine litter with continuing effects after loss.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where to go next
Practices involved
What these connections rest on (1)
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Traps and pots
Ghost fishing by lost pots and traps is documented.
- FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That lost pots and traps continue to catch and kill until they degrade or are recovered.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Gear involved
- Blood knotA leader knot decides WHERE a break happens, and therefore how much line stays in the water. A blood knot joining two similar diameters is the strongest point of a tapered leader by design, so what parts is the tippet below it — a few feet rather than the whole leader.
- Double overhand loopA loop-joined hooklength is deliberately the weakest point in the tackle. That is a welfare and a litter decision as much as a tackle-saving one: the break loses a hooklength and a hook rather than a lead, a trace and fifty metres of mainline.
- Dropper loopA trace carrying several hooks is several hooks lost when it snags, and multi-hook traces are fished over exactly the ground that takes tackle. A lost trace is also the arrangement most likely to entangle wildlife, because it is long, it carries several hooks and it does not sink flat.
- Haywire twistA wire trace that fails leaves wire in the water, and wire persists and does not degrade the way nylon slowly does. It also leaves a fish carrying hooks on a wire trace, which is the welfare failure the wire was fitted to prevent.
- Method feeder rigA feeder frame is a heavy component fixed in or near the line, and a fixed one that cannot shed leaves a fish towing it if the line parts. The arrangement is a welfare and a pollution decision at the same time, which is why it is worth stating on the rig rather than only on the environment record.
- Paternoster rigA trace fished over rough ground is fished to be lost, and how it is built decides what is left behind. A weak link above the lead loses the lead alone; the same rig without one loses the whole trace, hooks and all, on the same snag.
- Soft plasticsSoft plastics are consumables, they are lost in numbers, and they do not biodegrade in any practical timescale.
- Wire trace deadbait rigWire does not degrade and trebles do not either. A trace lost in a fish or on a snag stays as it was, which is the argument for building traces that can be recovered and for carrying tools that make cutting one out possible.
1 more
- Monofilament line Tackle
What these connections rest on (9)
Authoritative guidance — 9 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Blood knot
An environmental claim attached to the arrangement that causes it, held to the authoritative standard the predicate requires because tackle loss and lead use are matters of regulation and of published conservation evidence rather than of preference.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers treating lost and discarded line and terminal tackle as an avoidable environmental harm and an avoidable cause of access loss.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost fishing gear persists in the marine environment and continues to entangle, which is the mechanism the discarded-tackle record describes.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Double overhand loop
An environmental claim attached to the arrangement that causes it, held to the authoritative standard the predicate requires because tackle loss and lead use are matters of regulation and of published conservation evidence rather than of preference.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers treating lost and discarded line and terminal tackle as an avoidable environmental harm and an avoidable cause of access loss.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost fishing gear persists in the marine environment and continues to entangle, which is the mechanism the discarded-tackle record describes.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Dropper loop
Written for the two arrangements in this file that leave materially more behind when they fail — a multi-hook trace and a wire trace — rather than for every knot, since all tackle can be lost and an edge that applies to everything distinguishes nothing.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers on tackle loss, discarded terminal tackle and the arrangements that reduce both.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Synthesis of fishing gear impacts including lost and discarded gear and its persistence in the environment.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Haywire twist
Written for the two arrangements in this file that leave materially more behind when they fail — a multi-hook trace and a wire trace — rather than for every knot, since all tackle can be lost and an edge that applies to everything distinguishes nothing.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers on tackle loss, discarded terminal tackle and the arrangements that reduce both.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Synthesis of fishing gear impacts including lost and discarded gear and its persistence in the environment.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Method feeder rig
An environmental claim attached to the arrangement that causes it, held to the authoritative standard the predicate requires because tackle loss and lead use are matters of regulation and of published conservation evidence rather than of preference.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers treating lost and discarded line and terminal tackle as an avoidable environmental harm and an avoidable cause of access loss.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost fishing gear persists in the marine environment and continues to entangle, which is the mechanism the discarded-tackle record describes.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Paternoster rig
An environmental claim attached to the arrangement that causes it, held to the authoritative standard the predicate requires because tackle loss and lead use are matters of regulation and of published conservation evidence rather than of preference.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers treating lost and discarded line and terminal tackle as an avoidable environmental harm and an avoidable cause of access loss.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost fishing gear persists in the marine environment and continues to entangle, which is the mechanism the discarded-tackle record describes.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Soft plastics
Lost synthetic tackle is recognised as persistent litter.
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That synthetic fishing gear lost in the environment persists and is ingested by wildlife.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Angler litter guidance including tackle components.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Wire trace deadbait rig
An environmental claim attached to the arrangement that causes it, held to the authoritative standard the predicate requires because tackle loss and lead use are matters of regulation and of published conservation evidence rather than of preference.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers treating lost and discarded line and terminal tackle as an avoidable environmental harm and an avoidable cause of access loss.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost fishing gear persists in the marine environment and continues to entangle, which is the mechanism the discarded-tackle record describes.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Monofilament line
Discarded synthetic line is a recognised wildlife entanglement hazard.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: That discarded line and tackle cause wildlife entanglement, and the measures anglers are asked to take.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost and discarded synthetic gear persists and continues to cause harm.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Water and ground
- Inshore groundRough ground and wreck are where tackle is lost, so they are where it accumulates — and it goes on fishing after the session ends.
- Kelp forestLost line and netting accumulate on kelp and rough ground because that is where tackle is lost, and it continues to catch fish and entangle divers indefinitely.
What these connections rest on (2)
Authoritative guidance — 2 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Inshore ground
An environmental claim about persistent gear, held above practitioner level because it concerns continuing mortality rather than tidiness.
- FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That lost and abandoned gear persists in the marine environment and continues to fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That gear loss is a component of a fishery's environmental impact.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Kelp forest
An environmental claim held to an authoritative standard because it concerns persistent gear in the marine environment rather than an angler's preference.
- FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That lost and abandoned gear persists and continues to fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The vulnerability of structurally complex habitats to accumulated debris.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where this applies
What these connections rest on (1)
Scientific evidence — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Chesil Beach
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Related reading
- Etiquette on charter boats and crowded shore marksPiers, harbours and private shore access are closed to anglers far more often for litter than for anything else, which makes clearing up a question of continued access as well as of pollution.
- Fishing rough ground, and what it costsLost gear accumulates on reef and kelp precisely because that is where tackle is lost. The rotten bottom exists to make the thing left behind a lead rather than a rig with three baited hooks on it.
- Lost gear, and what a shaft leaves behindMonofilament persists and keeps entangling wildlife; a corroding shaft does not fish. The distinction is the whole of the comparison.
- Rig safety: what happens if the line breaksA rig lost to a snag does not stop existing. Monofilament persists for years and continues to entangle fish and diving birds, which puts rig design and litter in the same conversation rather than in two.
- Soft plastic riggingSoft plastic bodies are consumable by design, do not break down usefully in water, and are lost or discarded in quantity wherever the lures are used.
- Swivels, links and connectorsSwivels, clips and beads stripped from a rig at the end of a session are a large share of what is left on shorelines, and they are small enough to be dropped without noticing.
- Weak links and rotten bottomsThe single cheapest intervention that reduces what an angler leaves on rough ground: a snag costs a lead rather than a lead, a trace, hooks and a length of line.
- Why rigs snag, and how to reduce itEvery rig left in the sea is monofilament that does not rot, and a weak link to the lead turns a rig loss into a lead loss.
What these connections rest on (8)
Authoritative guidance — 8 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Etiquette on charter boats and crowded shore marks
Angling body guidance treats discarded line and tackle as an avoidable cause of access loss and environmental harm.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance on removing tackle and litter and on maintaining access.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Fishing rough ground, and what it costs
Gear loss and its persistence are documented by marine science and conservation bodies, and the claim is limited to what they set out.
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Synthesis of fishing gear impacts including lost and discarded gear and its persistence in the marine environment.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Science on UK marine fisheries and inshore environmental monitoring, including gear impacts and habitat condition.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Lost gear, and what a shaft leaves behind
The environmental record and the method-specific version of it.
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Expectations for gear selectivity, minimising waste and lost gear, and managing total removal from a stock.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Rig safety: what happens if the line breaks
The persistence of lost gear and its entanglement effects are documented rather than asserted, and the claim here is limited to that.
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Synthesis of fishing gear impacts including lost and discarded gear and its persistence in the marine environment.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Understanding the Complexity of Catch-and-Release in Recreational Fishing — Reviews in Fisheries Science 15:75–167, 2007 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Review of recreational angling impacts including tackle loss, trailing gear and the consequences for released fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Soft plastic rigging
Angling body guidance treats discarded tackle including soft plastics as an avoidable pollution source.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance on removing tackle and litter from the water and the bank.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Swivels, links and connectors
Angling body guidance treats terminal tackle left on the bank as a specific and avoidable pollution source.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers on removing tackle and litter, including terminal components.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Weak links and rotten bottoms
An environmental claim attached to the equipment or arrangement that causes it, held to the authoritative standard the predicate requires.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers treating lost and discarded terminal tackle as an avoidable environmental harm and an avoidable cause of access loss.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That lost fishing gear persists in the marine environment and continues to entangle.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Why rigs snag, and how to reduce it
Tackle loss stated as an environmental cost rather than a financial one.
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: The expectation that lost and abandoned fishing gear is minimised.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Sources for this page
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The recognition of discarded line as a wildlife hazard and the measures recommended to anglers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The characterisation of lost synthetic gear as persistent marine litter.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.