Water Fowls & Fishing Line

While it is encouraging to see more Canadians enjoying this fantastic pastime each year, it is important to remind ourselves to treat our fragile waterways gently. To many fishermen, a river, lake or ocean is simply a gigantic bucket where it is possible to fetch out a fish or two to take home. What we tend to forget is that these waterways are also crucial habitat for other animals, especially birds.

Unfortunately, many water fowls are often killed by a deadly artificial enemy - Fishing line. The slow death is not a pretty one. A fishing line that is tangled around the wings of a bird stops it from flying and hunting. Fishing line that is wrapped around a bird's neck prevents it from feeding, the bird often suffocates or eventually dies from hunger.

None of us would want to cause such horrific harm to any living being, yet we have the tendency to be lazy. The frustration of a backlash in our reels often results in a new artificial birdnest planted at the river bank. These days it seems that we have been programmed to filter out objects that we do not desire.

Fortunately, simple actions can reverse the wrong doings that have taken place. Here are some tips that can create a safer environment for our feathery friends in the future:

1. Keep used line in the pocket and dispose it properly at home.

2. Spend a small portion of your fishing time to pick up discarded line along the river bank.

3. Avoid accidental hookups on snags by fishing well away from them.

4. Avoid using line that is thicker or stronger than needed. This allows the line to break at the knot when needed instead of at a fracture, which may leave a portion of the line in the river.

A successful angler does not only catch fish but also respects his or her surroundings. By following the above recommendations, you would be saving the lives of many critters that utilize the waterways you love.

Rodney Hsu
Webmaster

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