Fishing line kills

Little Green Turtle drowned in the last few days, caught in more than 20 individually snagged fishing lines in the one spot. You can see the lead sinkers of 6 of the lines. There are hundreds of kilometres of junked fishing line in the sea and tons of lead sinkers and lures. Discarded fishing line routinely entangles and kills birds, fish, turtles, frogs, and small mammals; and the hooks that are attached to the snagged line cause internal bleeding if swallowed. And if the hook is embedded in the tongue, which is typical, it prevents the animal from eating, leading to starvation until death finally occurs. Both common and protected species of birds are found with fishing line tangled around their legs, wings and beaks. The restricted ability of entangled wildlife to move leads to drowning, starvation, vulnerability to predators, infections and even limb amputation as the animal struggles against the line or embedded hooks. Monofilament fishing line is not biodegradable and therefore presents serious environmental hazards for years to come. Retrieve all snagged monofilament line wherever you fish, whether yours or others and dispose of it properly in trash containers.
This image was taken on Wednesday 24th June, 2020 by Ian Banks at The Gold Coast but we have similar issues on the northern beaches, even in our local reserve "Cabbage Tree Bay".
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #fishingsucks #turtle #plastic