~wildlife education~
Recently, North Island Wildlife Recovery (NIWRA) centre staff were called out to retrieve a dead blue heron that was hanging from fishing line dangling in a tree over a pond. What a tragic, cruel and senseless death!
Photo credit: Deborah Freeman
Fishing lines and hooks left on the side of waterways can be swallowed or become entangled in an animal’s feathers or legs. Unwanted and carelessly discarded fishing line, hooks and netting cause entrapment, pain, injury and death to many fish, birds, turtles and other animals who live on or near the water.
Waterfowl, fish and turtles can become entangled when swimming. Birds sometimes use discarded fishing line to build nests, which can entrap both the parents and the chicks, causing feather damage, lacerations and/or death.
Ingested fishhooks are painful, dangerous and potentially fatal for the animals that eat them as well as for predators such as larger birds or animals that feed on the smaller animals.
Animals can become entangled in fishing line while trying to escape. The line can cut into the animal's skin, causing infections or amputation. Or the line can wrap around limbs, cutting off blood supply. Entangled animals are unable to move, find food, or escape predators.
Birds and animals often can’t see discarded fishing line and get too close and become entangled. If entanglement doesn't kill the animal right away (typically by drowning), wounds caused by the fishing line can be ghastly. Over time, the hard material can cut into the skin and muscle, and the animal lives in a tortured condition.
If swallowed, hooks and sinkers can lodge in the animal's mouth, esophagus, or stomach. This can cause internal bleeding, tissue damage, pain, and death. Lead hooks and sinkers can cause lead toxicity in raptors.
What can you do to help?
Pick up and properly discard your fishing gear. Dispose of fishing line by cutting it into pieces and putting it in a covered trash can. Volunteer at a shoreline cleanup event and retrieve any fishing line you discover. If you find an animal caught in fishing line, call a local wildlife rehabilitator for assistance. If you see an animal that is entangled, has swallowed a hook, or is injured by fishing line, contact a wildlife rehabilitation centre for advice.
You can help the wildlife in care at NIWRA by making a financial contribution on our secure website. Thank you so much for caring about wildlife!
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