Fishing gear injuries increasingly threaten Helsinki birds

Birds in Helsinki are being injured by discarded fishing line, hooks, lures and nets roughly every other day during the summer, according to Yle. Volunteers with Helsinki Wildlife Aid say the incidents have become more common in recent years.

“This is absolutely ridiculously common and keeps volunteers very busy,” Elisa Vuori of Helsinki Wildlife Aid said.

The most frequent case involves fishing line becoming wrapped around a bird’s legs. Loose line left on the ground can catch on birds as they come ashore, enter the water or feed in grass. If it becomes wrapped around both legs, it tightens as the bird walks.

The injury can cause tissue death and, in some cases, the bird’s foot has been completely amputated. Fishing line in the water can also become caught in a bird’s beak or throat. If a hook or lure is attached, it may become lodged in the bird’s digestive system.

Swans, gulls and cormorants have been affected, and Vuori said a grey heron was also involved in one case. Birds may mistake a lure glittering in the water for a fish.

Some injuries indicate that a bird was caught during fishing. A lure lodged in a bird’s wing may have hit it while being cast. However, Vuori said most fishers cut the line and leave the injured bird to fend for itself instead of reporting the incident.

In one case near Korkeasaari in late June, a bird was seen drifting beneath Finkensilta bridge with fishing line around its wings and body. Vuori and another volunteer swam after it and caught it. A live worm was still attached to the hook, suggesting the incident had happened only shortly before.

In another case, a mallard chick swallowed a worm attached to a hook. The line had also become tangled in reeds. The duck did not survive the removal procedure and died under anaesthesia at a veterinary clinic.

Rescuing injured birds can be difficult because many remain capable of flying. Volunteers may have to visit the same location several times before they can catch a bird. During the summer, limited volunteer resources are also strained by reports of gulls and geese hit by cars or bicycles.

Vuori said incidents caused by fishing equipment have increased during the six years she has worked as a wildlife volunteer. She said birds can suffer for weeks with line wrapped around their legs before they are rescued.

She wants the city to take the harm caused by fishing more seriously and for fishers to take greater responsibility for removing line and other equipment from the environment. The city is planning to increase public information about the issue in several languages.