Fishing Line Recycling
To help prevent injuries and snares of wildlife and people, the Town of Wakefield and the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt have partnered to provide fishing line (a.k.a. monofilament) recycling canisters around Lake Quannapowitt. If you or anyone you know fish at Lake Q, please take advantage of these canisters to help make the lake safer for all wildlife and visitors.
(Read more about the history and background of this issue below.)
Fishing line recycling canisters will be available at six locations around the lake:
- Hall Park
- Vets Field Backstop
- Lower Common (near playground)
- Belanger Park (corner of Main St. and Lowell St.)
- Gertrude Spaulding Park
- Willard Rd. (by the Berm)
How to Use the Fishing Line Receptacles at Lake Quannapowitt
Look for green fishing line recycling canisters at their six locations around the lake.- Place any used fishing line, hooks, lures, bobbers, etc. into the receptacles.
- Do not place trash in the fishing line receptacles.
- Please tell all your fishing friends to use the fishing line canisters!
- If a canister is full, jammed, or otherwise inoperable, please contact FOLQ to let us know. Email mail@folq.org or leave a voicemail at (781) 486-3795.
Fish Consumption Advisory for Lake Quannapowitt
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health continues to advise against eating fish from Lake Quannapowitt (January 2025 update). FOLQ recommends people engage only in recreational fishing at Lake Q and do not fish for food consumption.
- English: Do not eat the fish from the lake.
- Chinese: 不要吃湖里的鱼 Bùyào chī hú lǐ de yú
- Spanish: No comas el pescado del lago.
- Korean: 호수에서 잡은 물고기는 먹지 마세요. hosueseo jab-eun mulgogineun meogji maseyo.
- Vietnamese: Không ăn cá từ hồ.
- Portuguese: Não coma os peixes do lago.
Read the full details on this FOLQ blog post.
History of this Issue
This effort came about after a Great Horned Owl and a Common Loon were entangled in fishing line on the Lower Common of Lake Quannapowitt in early 2024. These sad incidents sparked a public discussion about managing discarded fishing line (a.k.a. monofilament) along the shores of the lake. Advocacy from Wakefield resident and professional wildlife photographer Carin Macnamara prompted FOLQ to learn more about this issue.
With helpful input and support from James Joyce of the Friends of Horn Pond in Woburn, which had successfully implemented its own fishing line recycling several years ago, the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt partnered with the Town of Wakefield to create a recycling program for fishing line at Lake Quannapowitt.
FOLQ would like to thank everyone who assisted in this collaborative effort. This would not have happened without support from a variety of people and groups, including Carin Macnamara, James Joyce of the Friends of Horn Pond, Dennis Fazio, Carmen Sorrentino, and Nick Dacova of the Parks Dept / DPW, the Town Council, The T Stop which donated the canister decals, and the dozens of people who wrote in to support and help refine this plan. This was a true community effort.