Anglers can reduce the risk of aquatic birds getting hooked on fishing gear.
John Tchir, resource manager with Alberta Environment and Parks, said watching for birds while casting lines does help.
He said throwing a top water lure or lighter weight hook into the air with a bunch of gulls flying nearby could catch their eye. They might think it’s a bug or piece of food if they’re used to being fed on the shoreline by people.
“They might swoop in and grab it and might get entangled that way,” Tchir said.
“So watch where you’re casting.”
He said if people fish with lures that are close to the surface to water birds, like gulls that aren’t diving down that deep, they might be enticed to snap it up. Birds like loons or mergansers might chase deeper running lures, but it’s rare to hook those birds unless you’re using a large lure.
Overall, hooking birds is not a growing problem, he said.
“It’s not a frequent occurrence by any means, but the risk is higher of course when you’ve got large densities of anglers.”
He also warned anglers to dispose of loose fishing line properly so fish and other wildlife don’t get entangled, and don’t leave fishing rods unattended.
“By law you have to attend your fishing rod. Don’t leave it unattended especially with bait dangling on your hook, especially in an area that would be accessible to birds.”
And Tchir reminded people to properly dispose of plastic six-pack rings from pop or beer.
“Those are really hard on both fish and birds because fish get caught up in the can holders themselves and they act almost like a miniature gill net, and birds also get entangled in those things. So cut those things up before you throw them in the trash.”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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