Reposting and sharing this bulletin as an FYI from the state of Florida:

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March 2, 2016

Suggested Tweet: Entanglement is a REEL issue. Anglers can save hooked birds. Don’t just cut the line! http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/139eb22 @MyFWC #fishing

Don’t cut the line! Reel. Remove. Release.

It’s a beautiful day and the fishing is good. Suddenly, the line snags on something as the cast is made. A bird is hooked. Don’t panic. There’s a way to get that bird released.

“The first thing to know is don’t cut the line,” said Kevin Oxenrider, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). “Birds that fly away with hook and line attached are at risk of getting entangled in trees and dying. And that line is left to possibly snare other wildlife.”

The FWC has come out with these steps to rescue a hooked bird: Reel in the bird. Remove the hook. Release the bird. Go to www.MyFWC.com/unhook for details.

“If possible, enlist others for assistance,” Oxenrider said.

Reel the bird in slowly and evenly. Don’t try to shake the bird loose by jerking the line – it will inflict additional injury to the bird.

Make sure that the bird remains on the water until a net, such as a hoop net, can be used to lift it out of the water. Birds reeled up out of the water can be seriously injured, or can potentially damage fishing equipment.

Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Take extra care to protect yourself when handling long-billed wading birds and hooked-billed cormorants

“Many people are afraid to grab a large bird like a pelican, but there’s a way to do it without hurting the bird or the rescuer,” Oxenrider explained.

Firmly grasp the bird’s head behind the eyes. Then fold the wings up gently but firmly against the bird’s body so that it can’t flap its wings, and hold the legs. Hold firmly but don’t strangle the bird. If it is a pelican, hold the beak but keep it slightly open so the bird can breathe. 

Rescuers can also cover the bird’s head with a towel, hat, shirt or other cloth. This will calm the bird and make it easier to remove the line and/or hook.

Remove the hook by cutting the barb and backing the hook out. If the barb is imbedded in the bird’s flesh, push the hook through until the barb emerges from the skin and then clip the barb.

If the bird is entangled in line, use scissors, clippers or a knife to gently cut the line.  Place the cut line in a monofilament recycling bin, or cut the line into small (less than 3-inch) pieces and place in a lidded trashcan. Carefully check the bird for other hooks or line and remove them too.

If the bird is feisty, it is likely healthy enough to release. Place the bird’s feet on the ground and step back while you release the bird. Let the bird take off on its own. Sometimes birds shake out their feathers, assess the situation and are then ready to fly. Other times, they just take off. Either way, this represents a successful release.

If the bird has swallowed the hook, or is severely injured, take it to a local rehabilitator. For a list of rehabbers in your area, go to: MyFWC.com/education and click on “Learn about Wildlife,” then “Unhook Seabirds” and “list of rehabilitators” near the bottom of the page.

Monofilament and fishing tackle left in the environment create potential traps for unsuspecting wildlife that become entangled or snared, leading to injury and death.

What can you do to prevent bird entanglement?

• Don’t feed pelicans and other waterbirds. This causes them to congregate in areas where they are more likely to get hooked or tangled in fishing line. Feeding pelicans is prohibited by law (F.A.C. 68A-4.001).
• Discard fish carcasses in lidded trash cans. Birds will feed on carcasses tossed in the water, which can lead to injury or death. Fish carcasses often are larger than the bait fish that birds normally feed upon, and the larger bones and spines can puncture the bird’s throat or digestive tract. Birds attracted by fish carcasses may gather in areas where they are more likely to become entangled in fishing line.
• Cast away from birds and shoreline vegetation.
• Collect and store loose monofilament line until it can be discarded properly.
• Keep bait buckets covered.
• Take unused bait home.
• Let other anglers know how to prevent bird entanglement.

“By being responsible anglers and spreading the word about ‘Don’t cut the line! Reel. Remove. Release’ (at www.MyFWC.com/unhook) we can save birds and other wildlife from becoming entangled and losing their lives,” Oxenrider said.

I did not realize fishing line-and hook and trash- animal entanglement was becoming such a hot topic item with Florida activists pushing this issue in the news- and now becoming a growing force for tighter fishing line regulations- and probably higher fishermen targeted taxes to pay for clean up and animal rescue and medical costs for starters...

I highlighted the top 3 articles for an interesting read in how this is being spun in the media... especially this first one: 

 

...

 

The MANATEE WHISPERER 

TCPalm-Feb 18, 2016 

This should be extended not only to Florida residents but to the vast tourist ... hand the damage plastic inflicts on turtles, manatee, birdsand other wildlife, ... "I've also helped save animals entangled in discarded fishing line.

 

 

 

Cook: How to solve the abandoned fishing line issue 

The Coloradoan-Feb 14, 2016

The more the bird struggled, the more the fishing line twisted. ... in the late 1970s, Florida's state wildlife agency published estimates based on sightings and actual documentation of birds killed byentanglement in fishing line.

 

Record Florida Manatee Count Reported By Fish And Wildlife ... 

The Inquisitr-Feb 28, 2016

A record Florida manatee count was reported by the state Fish and ... of fish hooks, litter, and monofilament line; and entanglement in crab trap ...

FWC: If you hook a bird while fishing, don't cut the line! 

Naples Daily News-Mar 3, 2016

By Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ... If the birdis entangled in line, use scissors, clippers or a knife to gently cut the line.

How Fisherman Should Release Hooked Birds 

Southwest Florida (blog)-Mar 2, 2016

... the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). “Birds that fly away with hook and line attached are at risk of getting entangled ...

Discarded fishing line kills 

Loveland Reporter-Herald-Feb 10, 2016

Abandoned fishing line kills more birds in one state than all the wind ... As doentangled turtles, salamanders, fishes and other wildlife for which ...

 

Reward offered after throats of 14 pelicans are slashed, 10 die 

Wisconsin Gazette-Mar 3, 2016

We are so thankful to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ... A local bird rescue found 18 pelicans near Jacksonville that were ... entanglement in fishing lines, and the disappearance of major food sources.

 

Rehabilitated pelicans released to wild at Pineda Beach 

Florida Today-Feb 18, 2016

All of the formerly debilitated birds were likely 1 year old or younger, and ... "Some of them were entangled in fishing line, with the fish hooks ...

 

SWFL Eagle Cam eaglet injures leg in fishing line 

Naples Daily News-Feb 9, 2016

SWFL Eagle Cam eaglet injures leg in fishing line ... after theentanglement became visible on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam. The bird's leg was swollen, and it will be observed at the clinic until it's medically stable enough ...

 

North Fort Myers eaglet rescue: 6 facts about chicks 

The News-Press-Feb 9, 2016

Called E8, the eaglet became entangled in fishing line and was essentially ... The crop, an organ located near the base of the bird'sneck, will ...

 

South Florida Wildlife Center to Hollywood: "Don't feed the ducks" 

Hollywood Gazette-Feb 17, 2016

"Birds fishing and swimming in our ocean are ingesting the hooks and line, or they step on or become entangled in such discarded items on ...

I hooked a seagull once.  Good thing I had a burlap bag in the boat.  I used it to keep him/her from flopping around and hurting itself or me.  It was hooked in the mouth and it was a fairly simple task.

I was in the middle of a bass/bluefish blitz.  The birds and the fish were after my treble hooked, mackerel colored Rebel.

A long time ago, in a country far far away.  Cape Cod, 1971.