Officials Warn Against Feeding Pelicans as FWC Enforces Protection Laws

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has begun cracking down on people who feed pelicans across the Suncoast area. This happens most at boat ramps and parks where fishermen gut their hauls. A first offense brings a noncriminal infraction and fine. Repeat violations could mean misdemeanor or felony charges.

"In Florida, it is illegal to intentionally feed pelicans," said Officer Bradley Johnson, according to WWSB. "Pelicans are protected, and feeding them can cause them to lose their natural fear of people, become dependent on handouts, and suffer injuries or death from ingesting harmful food or interacting too closely with humans and boats."

Pelicans wait for returning fishermen to score an easy meal. Save our Seabirds says this behavior harms the animals.

"If they learned that that's how they get food, they're going to neglect hunting abilities, and things like that, that they really need to be successful in the wild," said Stormy Willson, lead avian keeper at Save Our Seabirds. "That color pouch, which is what pelicans are kind of known for, that's how they get their food, if that gets cut, which it's really easy to do with they can really catch food, so things like fish, ribs, and stuff that are often found in fish crops, and that whole fish can be really damaging to them."

Willson calls them the "mascot of the Suncoast" and warns that if pelicans vanish because of human meddling, the food chain could crumble and wreck the entire ecosystem.

FWC tells anglers to toss fish carcasses in marked bins or lidded trash cans. Cast away from birds and shoreline plants, the agency says.

Gather and store loose monofilament line until you can discard it the correct way. Keep bait buckets covered, and haul unused bait back home.

Report violations by calling the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC or submitting a tip on the agency's website.