By Kat Bryant
Grays Harbor News Group
An adult bald eagle died on the beach at Ocean Shores last week after becoming entangled in synthetic fishing line.
A local resident reported it April 4 to Dan Varland, executive director of Coastal Raptors, a group that does research and advocates for conservation measures that help the birds. He rushed out to check and discovered not one, but two dead birds.
“The carcass of another bird was wrapped in fishing line, which in turn was tangled in the eagle’s legs. The eagle had gone after an easy meal and became caught in the line,” Varland said in a blog post. “Unable to fly or even to walk due to severe entanglement, I suspect the eagle drowned on an incoming tide.”
Monofilament was found wrapped tightly around the eagle’s talons and body.
This is not the Harbor’s only recorded case of raptor entanglement. In summer 2017, for example, a young osprey became trapped in fishing line that its parents had used to line their nest on Paulson Road in Hoquiam. Varland was able to rescue the fledgling, cutting it free and removing the material from the nest.
The best way to avoid such tragedies, he said, is for people to clean up after themselves — and, when necessary, after others.
Here are some tips culled from the websites of the Southwestern Bald Eagle Management Committee and the Wildlife Center of Virginia:
• Dispose of broken or leftover gear properly; never leave behind fishing line, hooks, lures or bait. Some places (such as Lake Sylvia State Park in Montesano) offer designated receptacles for fishing gear disposal options.
• Do not release fish that still have hooks in them. If practicing catch and release, use barbless hooks.
• Use the appropriate test line for the desired fish and fishing technique to decrease the chance of breakage.
• Replace your fishing line yearly. Over time, normal wear-and-tear can cause monofilament to become damaged or brittle. By regularly replacing your monofilament line, you can reduce the chance of breaking it.
• If you unintentionally hook an animal while fishing (such as a bird or turtle), remove the hook if it is possible to do so safely. If you are unable to do this, contact animal control or a permitted wildlife rehabilitator.
• Even if you don’t fish, take the initiative and pick up discarded monofilament you find along the shores.
Photo courtesy Coastal Raptors In 2017, this young osprey became trapped in fishing line that its parents had used to line their nest in Hoquiam. It was rescued.
Photo courtesy Coastal Raptors In 2017, this young osprey became trapped in fishing line that its parents had used to line their nest in Hoquiam. It was rescued.
