Juno Beach Fishing Pier adds music
What’s up with the orange wrist bands at the Juno Beach Fishing Pier?
And the music?
It’s all part of making the pier experience more fun, says Jack Lighton, president and chief executive officer of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, which manages the Juno Beach Fishing Pier just south of Marcinski Road.
The recorded music is piped-in and live music events on the pier have been held.
As for the wrist bands being handed out to pier visitors, they allow the visitors to leave and return on the same day without paying the $1 entry fee.
“Guests often leave the pier to use the restrooms or leave during a quick passing rain shower. The guest entry bands allow for quick re-entry to the pier and eliminates the need for our guests to hold and manage paper receipts,” Lighton says.
Fishing and sightseeing aren’t the only things to do on the pier.
Visitors can view rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, take photos, watch surfers, view boaters, collect bait, enjoy sunrises and sunsets, attend church services, get married, watch sea turtles and bring a brown-bag lunch.
If you’re a numbers person, here are some on sea life rescues and other information from the 1,000-foot-long pier opened in 2001 (LMC began managing the pier in April 2014):
■ 42: sea turtles rescued from the pier (2013-present)
■ 52: shore birds rescued from the pier (2015-present)
■ 36,206: Anglers that paid to fish on pier in 2016
■ 73,269: Visitors to pier in 2016
■ 53 miles: Amount of fishing line recycled in 2016
■ 19,465: Number of glass and aluminum items recycled in 2016
■ 3,924: Number of cigarette butts collected and disposed of in 2016
■ 199 pounds: Amount of underwater debris removed via underwater pier cleanups in 2016
■ 2,638 pounds: Amount of underwater debris removed via underwater pier cleanups, 2007 – present Bill DiPaolo Here are more facts about the pier supplied by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center:
■ Daily, it’s $1 to sight-see. For fishermen, it’s $4 daily.
■ Pier hours: March 1-Oct. 31: Thirty minutes before sunrise to sunset. Nov. 1-Feb. 28: Sunday-Thursday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 6 a.m. to midnight.
LMC has made improvements since it began operating the pier.
Using grants and support the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and Keep America Beautiful, the improvements include:
■ Added tables and seating to the pier deck
■ Several free fishing clinics
■ Additional recycling containers
■ Additional monofilament (fishing line) recycling containers
■ Added cigarette butt recycling containers on the pier
Cigarette butts make up a large portion of the trash collected on the north county beach, according to the Friends of Jupiter Beach.