kon 300 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Via this link http://www.amwrro.org.au/news/pelicans-most-at-risk-from-fishing-tackle-injuries From the attached pdf (also linked in the article) This study has shown that native estuarine and river birds are suffering significant injuries from fishing gear and that many of these entanglements appear to be related to foraging behaviour around active recreational fishing. A little presumptive but certainly not inconceivable? Regular removal of discarded fishing material along local shores resulted in no reduction in the numbers of entangled or hooked seabirds. It appears likely, therefore, that such injuries may result from seabird proximity to active recreational fishing, rather than from entanglement in discarded material. not sure that is a definitive cause/effect link, how thorough and complete is the "regular removal"? This had me raise my eyebrows... A field study was also conducted at various coastal and estuarine areas around the city of Adelaide counting pelicans in the presence of, or within close proximity (5 metres) to, active recreational fishing. Although this may certainly be worth considering, at least as a general principle... A number of fishing-related injuries observed to silver gulls and pelicans in the study occurred near Bower Road bridge off West Lakes. Due to fishing practices in the area, numerous fishing lines have been cast over overhanging power lines resulting in masses of suspended line and hooks that entangle and injure birds. Pelican Injuries from Fishing Tackle.pdf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Underpants 1,543 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Have not had any experience with pelicans but have had silver gulls fly into my line and become entangled on two separate occasions, LB metro. Whilst i share no love of the silver gull, i have no intention on injuring and causing pain to any animal, such was somewhat disturbing. Not to mention a major pain in the a**e with an oversupply of ignorant onlookers; had some lefty-fruitcake come up and tear into me. All the while this poor bird was getting smashed in the breaking waves against the rock wall. When i was finally able to go down and attempt to untangle it, it was stressed to the max, saturated & exhausted. I did the humane thing and put it out of its misery . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
reelfun 59 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 well from first hand knowledge, as i used to be guilty of it, most people down at Goolwa were i carp fish feed the pelicans the fish as they catch them and this has created a major problem as now they expect to be fed and as soon as you set up they know and are waiting, sometimes up to a dozen, they will sit right over your bait position tangling lines and as soon as a hooked fish breaks the surface you have a bunch of them chasing it in the water,i have numerous times pulled fish out of their mouths trying to scull drag them,you have to battle them as you get the hook out of the fish on land and put it in covered container, in the end it is almost impossible to fish responsibly and you end up packing it in.Try to explain this to other people (tourists} feeding them is not real successful as they are a real novelty bird . i have seen pelicans tangled like this numerous times. Do not feed them let em catch their own. Tinker, t1ppo and reelfun 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kon 300 Posted July 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 reelfun, an interesting observation. The paper obviously painted recfishers as the bad guys here (understandable because we are after all the source of fishing line and hooks)...however, and it`s a big however, bird aggregation around any people near the shoreline would surely be due also (at least in some measure) to associating all waterline and waterborne humans with a potential free feed? Fishers or otherwise. Unintended consequences of "ecotourism", feeding Stormboy`s cute little cousin?...the paper could have stressed that a little more methinks. Then again, bear in mind this is the same mob who generated the "dolphins and props" outcry a couple of years ago... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tinker 1,645 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I got my head stuck in a pelicans beak when I was a little kid. Seriously, just ask my mum. Was feeding them bread at Mannum, and must have been too slow coz next thing I knew it was trying to eat me. Recently at West Lakes I had one almost eating fish straight out of my hand, not to mention giving me the heebee jeebees. Cormorants have been a problem for me when they latch on to a fish I am fighting and refuse to let go. As for tangling fish, I have only ever got caught up on a duck, which was fairly easy to untangle except for the agro biting. Except for the pelican incident as a kid, I get on fairly well with the birds these days, and I most certainly don't leave discarded fishing line etc behind for them to get caught up in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ranger 48 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 The only thing I can't find about that article is any information in relation to the author(s), apart from a brief mention of the Adelaide School of Medical Science. If it's a valid paper, names and academic qualifications will be put to it......or is this instead something written by a student who had to complete a project and write his findings as part of a learning outcome for one of his modules? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 480 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Interesting ,they definately do and will hang around Anglers when they are actively fishing. I was up near Swan Reach once and there was a bunch of drunken yobbos camped a few hundred metres from us,there was a group of pelicans out in the river,I heard a gunshot,all the pelicans flew off except 1. The scumbags thought it was funny to fill one full of lead,there was no way i was going to confront them,being dosed up with booze and armed,and was out of mobile reception. There is a bad element out there that make the rest of us look bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kon 300 Posted July 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Ranger There may be some scientific background to some people in AMWRRO (and they milk their association with the very highly credentialled Roger Byard for all its worth) but they do seem to have anti-boating and anti-fishing activist inclinations. Think of them as a marine-specific RSPCA... Seem to be metaphorical "drinking mates" with Port River Dolphin Watch too, sure I`ve seen at least a couple of news articles over the years where people from both organisations are quoted or interviewed. rsk 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ranger 48 Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Ranger There may be some scientific background to some people in AMWRRO (and they milk their association with the very highly credentialled Roger Byard for all its worth) but they do seem to have anti-boating and anti-fishing activist inclinations. Think of them as a marine-specific RSPCA... Seem to be metaphorical "drinking mates" with Port River Dolphin Watch too, sure I`ve seen at least a couple of news articles over the years where people from both organisations are quoted or interviewed. Exactly mate! I too could travel to West Lakes, see the tangled lines hanging from the power lines and say it entangles and endangers birds...............yet from my own observations, the birds aren't that stupid, so where is the included proof of these claims? There is no methodology included in the report, no data, nor statistical surveys or methods of sampling that can be examined, no author or their qualifications provided....it hardly seems a valid or verifiable scientific report at all! Yes, I've seen birds entangled in discarded line (also plastic bags, beer bottle holders, and other detrius, pollutants and rubbish), yet show me the proof this is happening within close proximity to recreational anglers as stated, and is not instead something the birds have been entangled in elsewhere, or anywhere, possibly even while swimming off shore, while visiting the McDonalds carpark for a chip, alighting on a boat, or even in a residents yard. It seems to me, that a lot of conclusions are being drawn, with no evidence supplied to back up the claims....possibly with preconceived notions which NEED to be verified, resulting in conclusions being skewed to back these notions. I've read a lot of scientific reports in my time, this one hardly seems worth the paper it's printed on. I'm glad that it's been published in a Veterinary magazine, so that it will be opened up to peer review...as all scientific papers should. I'd also be very interested to read some of the peer reviews! It also seems to come at a very convenient time, just when Charles Sturt Council is proposing possible closures to West Lakes.....nothing like adding a bit of fuel to the fire, even if that fuel is not 100% legitimate! rsk 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kon 300 Posted July 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Ranger, I can`t believe I missed that... It also seems to come at a very convenient time, just when Charles Sturt Council is proposing possible closures to West Lakes.....nothing like adding a bit of fuel to the fire, even if that fuel is not 100% legitimate! I did note this when I read the "paper"; Materials and Methods Seabird case note data prospectively collected over 5.5 years (January 2004 - June 2009) from the Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO) at Torrens Island, South Australia were reviewed. but did not even remotely consider the (let`s be kind here, shall we?)...coincidence... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ranger 48 Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Seems quite "up to date" data (only 5 years old) and collected in another area (Torrens Island), doesn't it! Convenient....but that relates to West Lakes in 2014 how? Maybe a recent study at the West Lakes area would be a little more convincing and less worthy of my scepticism! Forget the anecdotal evidence of "it appears likely" or "may" and possibly just stick to facts if you want to be taken seriously as convincing researchers guys....otherwise you'll only ever be known as "activists" with an agenda! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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