WARNING: DISTRESSING IMAGES
Northern suburbs animal rescue groups are reporting an increase in injuries to native wildlife caused by discarded fishing lines and hooks.
Wildlife conservation organisation Wildlife Allies told the Northern Suburbs Weekly it recently found a Pacific black duck tethered to three separate pieces of fishing line at Lake Goollelal in Madeley.
The duck survived and after a week of care at Perth Wildlife Hospital, it was released back to the wild.
Not long after this incident, rescuers attended a similar case in Butler’s Brampton Park, where a native duck had been hooked in the mouth and tethered to reeds.
The native duck had swallowed too much blood and was unable to survive the incident.
Since then, rescuers said they have been attending to at least one bird impacted by fishing once a week.
Wildlife Allies director Maddison Danforth said it was putting a strain on volunteer rescuers.
“These are rescues that don’t really need to happen. If there was no line in the water, we wouldn’t get called out,” she said.
“And even if the animal gets saved, a lot of the time it has really bad injuries like dislocations or wing damage. Unfortunately, in a lot of these cases the animal can’t be rehabilitated.”
Recreational fishing is regulated by the State Government, but it continues to be a subject of debate among local government, with City of Stirling banning fishing at 17 locations.
A City of Wanneroo spokesperson said the city’s current local law did not prohibit fishing in its waterways, but it was considering provisions that would allow the council to restrict or prohibit fishing in some waterways.
“The proposed changes are expected to be presented to council in November,” they said.
“The city encourages people fishing in local waterways to take responsibility for their equipment and dispose of fishing lines and hooks safely.”
Ms Danforth believes it is possible for recreational fishing and wildlife to co-exist if the public were educated about the risks.
“A lot of people that fish really don’t understand how frequently it happens,” she said.
“They might see a Facebook post and think we’re elaborating or exaggerating, but the reality is that these rescues are being called in very frequently to a lot of organisations in WA.”
A Recfishwest spokesperson said the organisation encouraged fishers to take responsibility for leaving fishing locations better than they found them.
“Used fishing line, hooks and other tackle should never be left behind. Fishers should use dedicated fishing-line disposal bins where they are available or take waste home with them and dispose of it safely,” they said.
“Looking after our waterways and wildlife is part of being a responsible fisher.”