Responsible Pier Initiative

The Responsible Pier Initiative is a first-of-its-kind program designed as a collaborative tool to work directly with fishermen and fishing piers. The purpose of these efforts is to provide first-responders on fishing piers with the necessary resources to respond effectively to sea turtle injuries and strandings on or around fishing piers. If interested in bringing the RPI to a pier near you, please contact Katie O’Hara at kohara@marinelife.org.

The Responsible Pier Initiative consists of four core components  

Above the water-line:
1. Educational workshops conducted for fishing pier first responders
2. Educational signage and rescue nets provided to participating fishing piers
3. Pollution prevention measures on participating fishing piers

Below the water-line:
4. Underwater cleaning beneath participating fishing piers and surrounding areas on a regular basis

All of the listed piers abide by the following guidelines:

If a sea turtle is accidentally hooked or entangled, call your local responders.
Recycle used monofilament fishing line in PVC tubes.
Use sea turtle-safe lighting during nesting season.
Properly dispose of all trash, recyclables, and cigarette butts.
Do not leave fish on the deck.

RECOGNIZED PIERS

FLORIDA	FLORIDA
Juno Beach Fishing Pier, Juno Beach	North Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier, St. Petersburg
Lake Worth Pier, Lake Worth	South Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier, Palmetto
Dania Beach Pier, Dania Beach	Williams Fishing Pier, Riverview
Navarre Beach Pier, Navarre	Ft. DeSoto Park Bay Pier, Tierra Verde
Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier, Pensacola Beach	Ft. DeSoto Park Gulf Pier, Tierra Verde
Gulf Islands National Seashore Pier, Pensacola Beach	Cocoa Beach Pier, Cocoa Beach
Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, Fort Walton Beach	Phil Foster Park Pier, Riviera Beach
Russell-Fields City Pier, Panama City Beach	Port Canaveral/Jetty Park Pier, Port Canaveral
MB Miller Pier, Panama City Beach	VIRGINIA
St. Andrews State Park Piers, Panama City	Little Island Fishing Pier, Virginia Beach
Mexico Beach Pier, Mexico Beach	Virginia Beach Fishing Pier, Virginia Beach
Fernandina Harbor Marina, Fernandina Beach	Lynnhaven Inlet Fishing Pier, Virginia Beach
Mashes Island Park, Panacea	Ocean View Fishing Pier, Norfolk
St. Marks City Dock, St. Marks	Buckroe Fishing Pier, Hampton
Woolley Park Fishing Pier, Panacea	Sea Gull Fishing Pier, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Eastpoint Fishing Pier, St. George Island	Engineers Wharf Fishing Pier, Hampton
St. George Island Fishing Pier, St. George Island	TEXAS
10 Foot Hole (Appalachia Yacht Basin), Apalachicola	Horace Caldwell Pier, Port Aransas Beach
Bald Point State Park, Alligator Point	Bob Hall Pier, Corpus Christi
Marine Street Dock, Carrabelle	Galveston Fishing Pier, Galveston
Fort Boat Ramp, Crawfordville	61st Street Fishing Pier, Galveston
Ochlockonee Bay Boat Ramp, Panacea	Seawolf Park, Galveston
Pier 60, Clearwater Beach	PUERTO RICO
Deerfield International Fishing Pier, Deerfield Beach	Mosquito Pier, Vieques
Fort Clinch Fishing Pier, Fernandina Beach	Old San Juan Pier, Old San Juan
Melody Lane Fishing Pier, Ft. Pierce	Ceiba Piers, Ceiba
Anglin’s Fishing Pier, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea	NORTH CAROLINA
FDOT Pier, Jupiter	Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head
Sawfish Bay Park, Jupiter