The dangers of fishing line and hooks for birds and other wildlife are real and damaging.
I see and photograph incredible birds and wildlife often, and it brings me a lot of joy. But there’s a flip side to my photography that’s saddening, maddening, and deeply disheartening. I don’t always see beauty. Sometimes, I see pain, suffering, and death.
Laughing Gull with fishing line & hook in bill with feet tangled, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
I recall vividly the morning I spotted this Laughing Gull. It wasn’t acting like the other gulls nearby, so I focused on the bird and felt my stomach twist into a knot as it became clear that the gull had a fish hook embedded in its throat and bill. It couldn’t close its bill. Then I noticed its feet were entangled in monofilament fishing line so badly that it could barely walk. All it could do was shuffle its feet.
I wanted to get help for the Laughing Gull, but at the time I didn’t have a smartphone, I had no access to the internet, and I didn’t have the number for the park’s headquarters. I couldn’t take the bird to a rescue group either, because it could still fly. When it did fly off, the knot in my gut tightened. I knew that without help, the gull would soon die. That is such a helpless feeling.
Fishing Lures left on a snag in a tidal lagoon
Monofilament fishing line, lures, hooks, metal leads, and weights pose serious dangers to birds and other wildlife when they aren’t properly disposed of. Monofilament can tangle around bills, feet, wings, legs, and necks, leading to injury or death. It can cause amputations or, when wrapped around the neck, a slow and painful strangulation.
After photographing these lures, I removed them from the snag and disposed of them properly. The snag wasn’t in deep water. It only came up to my knees. I don’t understand why the fishermen didn’t wade out and take care of it themselves. I honestly can’t understand.
White Ibis with foot tangled in fishing line, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
I can’t count the number of times I’ve encountered a bird with missing feet or partial amputations of their legs. I’ve seen that many.
The fishing line was tangled so tightly around the foot of this White Ibis that the foot was extremely swollen, and it looked obviously painful. The bird didn’t place that foot on the ground while I watched it.
Instead, it hopped on the other leg to move along. The Ibis flew off before I could call the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in St. Petersburg to ask for help. Once again, I was left wondering about the fate of a beautiful bird.
After my experience with the Laughing Gull tangled in fishing line, I added the phone numbers for the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary and the park headquarters to the contacts list in my cell phone.
Fishing lure – What you don’t want to see left on the beach
Quite often, fishing lures resemble fish, shrimp, or other food items meant to attract the intended catch. The problem is that these lures can also look appealing to birds, mammals, and other sea creatures.
I found this lure while walking along a sandy beach. Not only could it have harmed birds or wildlife, but it could also have ended up stuck in the sole of a child’s foot. That kind of injury could cause pain, lead to infection, or require Tetanus shots.
I picked up the lure, placed it in this tree to photograph it, then carried it to a trash receptacle to dispose of it. A pretty simple way to protect wildlife and people from something dangerous. I just wish it happened more often.
Laughing Gull with fishing line & lure in bill
This Laughing Gull had obviously swallowed a hook or a lure and had a long strand of fishing line hanging from its bill the evening I photographed it. I was heartbroken that, before I could call for help, someone walked close enough to make the gull fly away.
If I could have reached the park rangers at Fort De Soto County Park or the rescue group they may have been able to throw a net over the bird to capture it, remove the hook and release it.
Used fishing line container
Many parks and recreation areas have now installed used fishing line containers within easy walking distance of fishing spots. These containers make it easy to safely dispose of fishing line, weights, leads, hooks, and lures. I find it sad that even in places with these containers, I still come across fishing line and hooks on the ground, posing dangers to birds, wildlife, and people.
Is there an excuse for not walking a few feet to get rid of these items safely?
I don’t think so.
Injured Cormorant, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
I have been able to aid in the rescue of several birds, including the Double-crested Cormorant shown above. I was photographing birds near the Gulf Pier at Fort De Soto when I noticed this bird sitting on the beach.
I could see the hook in the bill without using my lens, so I knelt down, focused on the bird, and could also see a metal leader and a lead weight. The dull color of this bird’s eyes showed it was growing weaker.
I was able to call Jim Wilson at park headquarters, who said he’d be there quickly. I stood guard over the bird so if people approached, I could ask them to stay far enough away to keep the bird from flying off or entering the water. Jim and a few other rangers showed up, caught the Cormorant, and took it to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary where the hook was removed. When the bird was healthy again, it was released back into the wild.
If you’re a fisherman, please dispose of used line, hooks, lures, and lead weights properly whenever possible. You could be saving the lives of birds and wildlife while helping the environment.
They belong on this planet as much as we do.
Mia
Other posts on this subject can be seen here.
How truly sad and reckless. It would be great if this article and your fabulous photos could be published in some fishing magazines. Thank you for this very very important post Mia.
Thanks for visiting my site Carol and for your comment on this fishing line problem.
Mia, thank you for this important, important post! Hugh and I carry nitrile gloves, sharp nail scissors and medical wound disinfectant with us everywhere we go because we have had to cut filament off a bird’s legs (when it’s possible to catch them), or dismantle a tangle of fishing line from sea life. I think the most heart breaking instances are ones like this — where you see the issue, but there’s nothing you can do. A bird that can still fly is nearly impossible to rescue. The most malicious situation I’ve encountered in terms of discarded filament was on a pier in the Bay Area. Some fisherman or kids had left multiple hooks on the wooded pier railing, baited with fish. They were stuck there in such a way that any gull or bird who swooped down to get the food, would have likely swallowed the hooks. I disposed of them quickly, but I went home despondent at the thought of this wanton malice.
Ingrid,
When I lived in Florida I used to carry my Swiss Army knife in my backpack in case it was need to remove fishing line from a bird, quote often I would need it to clip fishing lines wrapped around snags so I could properly dispose of the line & hooks. More often than not with birds though there was nothing I could do because they were able to fly.
I know there are times when a fishing line snaps and a great portion of the line under the water is unable to be retrieved but for someone to have left baited hooks unattended on a railing feels malicous to me. Thanks for disposing of them quickly.
I see this happen all to often here, and it makes me very sad:( Thank you for writing about this issue.
Tammy, I saw it often in Florida, not so often here in Utah but it still happens. About an hour’s drive north of here a year ago I saw a large golden hook embedded in a Bald Eagle’s bill. I felt helpless because there was nothing I could do for the bird. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you for bringing awareness to this serious problem. It breaks my heart to see this. It is sad that some might even laugh at this. So negligence and a lack of concern are to blame. The fines for this behavior should b be large.
Thanks for commenting on this serious problem Ruth. I don’t know if there are fines for leaving fishing line or hooks around, I suspect it would be difficult to enforce.
That is sad. Very sad.
It is very sad Dale. I hate to see birds suffering.
This is a great post, Mia. I have had the same experiences, and have felt like you do. A week ago my wife and came upon a Ring-billed Gull. At first I thought it had a small fish in it’s bill, but after focusing on it with my camera, I realized it was a fishing lure, hanging out. As we watched, a few minutes later, it flew off. I wondered what it’s fate would be. About those containers, with way people around here behave, they wouldn’t use the containers anymore than they would throw their beer cans in a trash can a few feet away.
Bob, It is a very sad situation but if we can all save just one bird then it is worth it. I agree, there are some people who won’t walk five feet to throw a beer can in the trash can. It is up to the rest of us to make sure birds and wildlife are safe.