JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Le Nichoir bird conservation centre in Hudson is reminding residents not to abandon any fishing gear after the death of a young female mallard last week. The bird was admitted to the centre last Sunday with a fishing line tangled around its body and fish hook caught in its wing, requiring surgery. Despite the surgery having gone “really well,” the bird died the following day.

“Anytime we get a bird that was affected by fishing material, it always breaks our heart,” said Élise Laferrière, the education program coordinator at Le Nichoir.

Most residents enjoying summertime fishing may not think twice about cutting a tangled line, losing a small lead sinker or releasing a fish back into the water that had swallowed a hook too deeply to be removed.

“It’s been happening as long as people have been fishing,” said Laferrière. “And with the years, of course, those discarded materials accumulate.”

Le Nichoir treats about half a dozen birds that have been badly injured by abandoned fishing gear each summer, she said.

“And those are only the birds that were found,” Laferrière explained.

Cases often involve these birds getting tangled in abandoned fishing lines, sometimes cutting off circulation to one or more limbs and requiring amputation. Many fish-eating birds, especially loons, will also inadvertently consume hooks that have been left inside fish, causing severe internal damage, Laferrière said.

Even small lead fishing sinkers, a pack of which can be bought at Canadian Tire for around $7, can have a negative impact when left at a fishing site. Many species of birds swallow small stones to help with digestion, which can be easily confused with these lead sinkers.

“That causes an acute poisoning,” Laferrière explained. “They (become) anemic. They have severe neurological symptoms. Most of the time they will die from it.”

What’s more, deciding whether these injured birds require surgery is always a tough call for the workers at Le Nichoir, Laferrière added. Wild birds don’t tolerate anesthesia well, raising the risk of them dying during surgery or soon after.

“But we can’t just leave (them) because they will die from infection,” she said.

Residents who go fishing can prevent these unnecessary injuries to birds by being more mindful of their gear, Laferrière explained. This includes ensuring that all gear that was taken for fishing is brought back home at the end of the day.

Prevention may also include small changes in the choice of fishing gear, like using steel or copper sinkers instead of lead ones, and using barbless hooks that are more easily removed while catch-and-release fishing.

“We always say that it’s always better to prevent (these injuries) than to try and heal them from it,” Laferrière added.