Don't feed the pelicans

This one cuts a little close to home for me.

One of the enduring memories of my childhood is from the time I lived in St. Petersburg (1977-80), fishing with my grandfather off the dock behind his apartment on Snell Isle and feeding the pinfish we caught -- it was almost always pinfish -- to the pelicans and the occasional blue heron. Well, beginning next week, such pastoral Florida scenes will be illegal.

Pelican feeding long has been a popular pastime at The Pier Bait House, where visitors are greeted with a yellow "Pelican Crossing" lamppost sign and a sidewalk placard that advertises "Pelican Food for Sale."

Come July 1, though, such feedings will be outlawed in Florida. The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has passed a rule aimed at halting the feeding of large numbers of pelicans, saying the practice is affecting the health of brown pelican populations.

State officials say that feeding pelicans discarded fish and fish scraps can harm the birds in a number of ways.

One is that it can keep them from migrating south for the winter if they congregate in places where scraps are readily available.

Another problem arises at fishing piers, fish processing plants and other spots where people clean fish or toss the birds a few scraps, officials said. The large bones left over after filleting a fish, for instance, can get stuck in the pelican's throat, causing it to choke or starve.

Moreover, pelicans that hang out at piers can get caught with fishing hooks while trying to steal fish from a fishing line. Embedded hooks can cause the soft skin of the bird's pouch to tear, possibly causing infection that could lead to sickness.

According to the article, there won't be a major effort to stamp out "casual" feeding. In other words, as the Fish and Wildlife spokesperson put it, "[o]ur guys aren't going to be running around giving little Johnny with his grandpa tickets." (Never mind that my name isn't Johnny and my grandfather died in 2003 ...)

I'm trying to figure out an angle to blame this on Republicans. Maybe something about how once again the GOP finds a way to prevent aid to the needy. Pelicans or people, it doesn't really matter to them ...

Okay, okay, I'll keep working on it.