Don't leave old fishing tackle

[crosseyedbass]

Get with the program - Be more careful.


Discarded fishing hooks injuring wildlife

This fish hook was found lodged in the throat of a duck (WSYR-TV)



Ithaca, New York (WSYR-TV) – Imagine having two fish hooks lodged in your throat and stomach. Cornell University researchers say that's what happens to wildlife, like ducks, when anglers leave used hooks behind. The animals think the hooks are food, and wind up getting hurt.

”This is a young mallard that came in,” explained Susie Bartlette of Cornell University. “It had fishing line that was coming out of the mouth,” she added.

Someone found the duck near a pond in the Southern Tier. It had swallowed more than a foot of fishing line and two fishing hooks. One of the hooks was stuck in the duck’s throat – the other, in its stomach.

”It's unfortunately a fairly common problem that we have in water fowl as well as snapping turtles. Sometimes they'll see something shiny and they decide maybe it's food and they go after it and that they swallow the hook,” Bartlette said.

It’s a dangerous situation that could be deadly. Officers are asking people to be more cautious once they're done fishing. Even if you don’t fish, you can still help out. Veterinarians are asking folks to pick up old fish hooks they find along the shorelines of lakes, rivers and streams.

[clamchucker]

They now have line recycling boxes in many areas, but it amazes me how careless some fishermen can be. The thing that concerns me the most is discarded braid. People should really be more careful.

[fishlipper]

What clamchucker said. People have no respect for the environment if they just leave yards of braid around, have seen this many times. Braid lasts forever.

[paco33]

Nothing irritates me more on a day out than picking up all the loose and tangled braid some idiot left behind.