Abandoned fishing gear can cause serious harm to birds

Anglers are being urged to safely dispose of their hooks and fishing lines, which pose a deadly risk

- By Tony Carnie

One too many encounters with injured and crippled birds has prompted South African photographer and birding expert Hugh Chittenden to issue an appeal to shore and inland anglers to go the extra mile to retrieve and safely dispose of their tangled or lost fishing lines.

Chittenden, who has been photographing birds for more than 40 years and has written four Roberts Bird Guides, has seen at least five woolly-necked storks and several other species with severe injuries or lost limbs recently because of nylon fishing line tangles.

Although he recognises that fishers cannot always retrieve hooks and lines snagged in rocks or vegetation, he still sees lengths of fishing line lying on the beach during his regular walks on the KwaZulu-Natal coast or when visiting inland dams and lakes.