Don't feed the pelicans

Starting July 1, fishermen could find themselves on the wrong side of the law for feeding pelicans. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has passed a new rule the prohibits the intentional feeding of brown pelicans.

Brown pelicans, the bird with the big bill you see begging for bait around fish cleaning tables, apparently get so used to handouts from fishermen that they forget out to survive in their natural environment.

"They are wild birds," said FWC spokeswoman Karen Parker. "We want them to stay wild.

The FWC won't be handing out tickets any time soon. For the first six months, FWC officers will focus on education and target the big fish houses, commercial and charter boats that discharge large quantities of scraps into the water.

"It can get to be a problem because these birds start to count on handouts from humans," Parker said. "We want this practice to start."

Parker said the new rule was not intended to stop the "the occasional or casual" feeding of pelicans. "We are not going to be handing out tickets to little Timmy and his grandpa when they are out fishing," she said.

For more information on this rule, go to myfwc.

Comments

[Michelle Simoneau]

Thanks for clarifing this new FWC law concerning feeding the Eastern Brown Pelicans. I want to encourage folks however, that when trying to help an injured or hooked pelican, using fish to lure them to be netted or contained is the best thing to do. We rescue and treat thousands of pelicans each year that have been hooked or injured by fishing lines. We depend greatly on the community (and fishermen) to help the pelicans from human interference.
Michelle Glean Simoneau - Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.