How to Help Wildlife Caught in Fishing Line


Fishing line causes thousands of injuries to wildlife each year. The problem is it doesn't biodegrade so a discarded piece of fishing line is left lying in wait for a bird or animal to swallow it or get tangled up in it.

Commonly fishing line wraps itself around birds toes, cutting off the circulation and causing infection, gangrene and amputations. Birds whose feet are affected can be difficult to help. Generally their ability to fly is unaffected so it is very difficult to catch them. If you cannot catch them yourself do contact a wildlife rescue as they may have more success with specialist equipment.

Left in the water fishing line is easily mistaken for weed and swallowed by waterfowl. If you see a bird with fishing line hanging from it's beak it is important that you seek assistance and do not try to capture the bird yourself. NEVER try to remove fishing line from the mouth. There may be a hook on the other end which could cause serious damage. It's worth noting though that just as a bird can get weed and line mixed up so can you. Double check before you call that what you're seeing really is line and not just a harmless bit of pond weed!

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