{"id":4438,"date":"2012-02-18T10:51:33","date_gmt":"2012-02-18T17:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=4438"},"modified":"2025-06-19T09:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T14:39:48","slug":"the-dangers-of-fishing-line-and-hooks-for-birds-and-other-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/02\/18\/the-dangers-of-fishing-line-and-hooks-for-birds-and-other-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Fishing Line and Hooks for Birds and other Wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"

The dangers of fishing line and hooks for birds and other wildlife are real and damaging.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I see and photograph incredible birds and wildlife often, and it brings me a lot of joy. But there\u2019s a flip side to my photography that\u2019s saddening, maddening, and deeply disheartening. I don\u2019t always see beauty. Sometimes, I see pain, suffering, and death.<\/p>\n

\"Laughing Laughing Gull with fishing line & hook in bill with feet tangled, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida<\/span><\/p>\n

I recall vividly the morning I spotted this Laughing Gull. It wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

I wanted to get help for the Laughing Gull, but at the time I didn\u2019t have a smartphone, I had no access to the internet, and I didn\u2019t have the number for the park’s headquarters. I couldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\"FishingFishing Lures left on a snag in a tidal lagoon<\/span><\/p>\n

Monofilament fishing line, lures, hooks, metal leads, and weights pose serious dangers to birds and other wildlife when they aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

After photographing these lures, I removed them from the snag and disposed of them properly. The snag wasn\u2019t in deep water. It only came up to my knees. I don\u2019t understand why the fishermen didn\u2019t wade out and take care of it themselves. I honestly can\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

\"White White Ibis with foot tangled in fishing line, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florid<\/span>a<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t count the number of times I\u2019ve encountered a bird with missing feet or partial amputations of their legs. I\u2019ve seen that many.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t place that foot on the ground while I watched it.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Fishing Fishing lure – What you don’t want to see left on the beach<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Laughing Laughing Gull with fishing line & lure in bill<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

If I could have reached the park rangers at Fort De Soto County Park<\/span><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Use Used fishing line container<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Is there an excuse for not walking a few feet to get rid of these items safely?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

\"Injured Injured Cormorant, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s eyes showed it was growing weaker.<\/p>\n

I was able to call Jim Wilson at park headquarters, who said he\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

They belong on this planet as much as we do.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Other posts on this subject can be seen here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The dangers of fishing line and hooks for birds and other wildlife are real and damaging. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,144,1254,1253,188,2000,364],"tags":[1258,1257,4313,149,4312,1261,4310,1255,1260,3995,1256,5231,5413,4311,1259,478],"class_list":["post-4438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-double-crested-cormorant","category-environment-wildlife-ethics","category-fishing-line-dangers","category-laughing-gulls-gulls","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-white-ibises","tag-amputations","tag-dangers","tag-death","tag-double-crested-cormorant","tag-environment","tag-fishermen","tag-fishing-line","tag-fishing-lures","tag-health","tag-laughing-gull","tag-lead-weights","tag-rescue","tag-rescued","tag-safety","tag-strangulation","tag-white-ibis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/laughing-gull-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-6454.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-19A","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":139803,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/02\/12\/common-loon-vs-fishing-lure\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":0},"title":"Common Loon vs Fishing Lure","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Discarded fishing lures and other tackle can injure, strangle, and kill birds. I don't know how the story ended for this hooked Common Loon.","rel":"","context":"In "Common Loons"","block_context":{"text":"Common Loons","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/grebes\/common-loons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Loon hooked by a fishing lure, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/common-loon-fishing-lure-inset-mia-mcpherson-4441.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/common-loon-fishing-lure-inset-mia-mcpherson-4441.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/common-loon-fishing-lure-inset-mia-mcpherson-4441.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/common-loon-fishing-lure-inset-mia-mcpherson-4441.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112726,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/19\/fishing-line-is-a-dangerous-nesting-material\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":1},"title":"Fishing Line Is A Dangerous Nesting Material","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"All across the country it is nesting season for many North American birds. For some nesting birds it is also a very dangerous time because of fishing line.","rel":"","context":"In "American Robins"","block_context":{"text":"American Robins","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/thrushes\/american-robins\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Robin with dangerous fishing line, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-robin-female-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-4093.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-robin-female-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-4093.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-robin-female-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-4093.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-robin-female-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-4093.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":627,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/08\/27\/injured-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":2},"title":"Injured Birds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Many people volunteer at bird rescue groups, donate time or money to help the injured birds. The rescue groups provide a safe haven for birds to recover before being released back into the wild.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Injured Cormorant, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/double-crested-cormorant-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-9228.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/double-crested-cormorant-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-9228.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/double-crested-cormorant-fishing-line-mia-mcpherson-9228.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 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2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Among the bait fish skirmishes one solitary Ring-billed Gull stood out to me and as it flew after the Reddish Egret and Laughing Gulls I kept my lens trained on it.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull Ballet, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-landing-mia-mcpherson-0421.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-landing-mia-mcpherson-0421.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-landing-mia-mcpherson-0421.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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