Both fishhooks and broken fishing lines may injure and kill seabirds and waterbirds in parks. These birds cannot remove hooks or lines. Hooks that penetrate the bird's hollow bones can lead to infection. Broken lines can wrap around birds' legs, wings, or beaks.

California seabirds and waterbirds face a variety of threats, including exotic predators, habitat change, oil and chemical pollution, domoic acid poisoning, changes in prey resources, commercial and recreational fishing gear entanglements, and human disturbances of roosting sites and breeding colonies. Many would not think seabirds or waterbirds are in trouble, especially when plenty of gulls appear at the beach and ducks appear in the parks. For instance, gulls are excellent scavengers that take advantage of the increasing amount of human garbage. Although brown pelican restoration has been successful, many other California breeding species are declining. As California's human population grows, more people recreate in the marine environment, and this affects all the wildlife in the marine ecosystem. Primary recreational impacts on seabirds and waterbirds are through fishing gear entanglements and breeding colony and roost site disturbances.

Most avid recreational anglers have at some point interacted with seabirds and waterbirds. Seabirds and waterbirds often eat the same fish being targeted or may be attracted to bait at the end of the line. As a result, birds become accidentally hooked or entangled. Breaking an entangled line does not resolve the situation. The seabird or waterbird may fly away, but the story does not end there.

Both fishhooks and broken fishing lines may injure and kill seabirds and waterbirds. Seabirds and waterbirds cannot remove hooks or lines. Hooks which penetrate the bird's hollow bones can lead to infection. Broken lines can wrap around birds' legs, wings, or beaks. The entangled bird then starves because it cannot fly or swim, or it cannot feed if the beak is trapped in line. Trailing lines wrapped around legs or other body parts can cut off blood circulation or get entangled with structures. Some seabirds, such as brown pelicans, use their pouches to scoop up water to catch fish. When a pelican's pouch is ripped by a hook, it cannot feed properly and starves because fish fall out through the hole.

While seabird and waterbird entanglements can occur during any type of recreational fishing activity, the most severe problem has occurred at piers when large numbers of bait fish concentrate, attracting both anglers and seabirds.  Our local parks that allow fishing are another area where severe injuries are occurring at an alarming rate.

If you do hook or entangle a seabird or waterbird and can reel it in and capture it without injury, carefully attempt to unhook or disentangle the bird. If you are on a pier, walk the line to a floating dock or to shore, or use a hoop net under the bird to lift it. Birds will defend themselves, striking with their bills. Have assistance in handling the bird. To protect yourself, keep the bird away from your face, control the bird's bill first, and use a towel or shirt to cover the bird's head (which also calms the bird). The wings should be folded into their normal position. While maintaining control of the bird's head and body, remove all the line and cut off the barb. Don't pull the hook directly out, this will cause more injury. If a bird cannot be captured, or if the hook cannot be completely removed, cut the line as close to the bird as possible. Call a local wildlife care facility if the bird is seriously injured or has multiple hooks.

To avoid injury to our seabirds and waterbirds, please use the Fishing Line Recycling Stations provided to you by the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center.  Please consider a donation to help us maintain the stations and to help the wildlife that are injured from these entanglements.  The WWCC sponsors 10 Fishing Line Recycling Stations located throughout Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley.
 
Greer Park

· One station is located at Gas Light Dr and Dawson Ln.

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587

•  Two stations located at Lakeview Dr. / Cliffview Ln.

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587

1 Main St.

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587

Mile Square Orange County Regional Park –

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587