r/geese • u/chuckybuck12 • Mar 11 '26
Discussion Why is fishing even legal?
Just this past Saturday I caught a Canada goose whose lower beak looked swollen. It kept making a strange spitting motion, as if it was trying to expel something. I wasn’t sure whether there was a hook in its mouth, but I knew if I didn't take a chance to catch it, it may fly off and I may not see it again. So I caught it, and brought it to my local wildlife rescue center. On Sunday, partner and I caught an American coot that was badly entangled in fishing line. I took it earlier today to the rescue, while I was there, I asked about the Canada goose I had brought in previously. The woman handling intake took my number and got back to me some time later to let me know there had indeed been a hook stuck in the goose’s mouth. Thankfully it wasn’t too far down its throat, they were able to remove it and the bird was recovering well. They normally never give updates, so I’m not sure if she was new and didn’t know their policy or if she just felt inclined to let me know because she liked me. Today I saw a pelican with a long fishing line hanging out of its mouth. I also spotted another coot with fishing line that had clearly taken most of the toes off one of its feet. It hopped back into the water before I had the chance to try catching it. I had to head back to work, so I had no choice but to leave it and walk away. All of these injuries happened within the span of less than a week. Bare in mind, I walk the perimeter of both the lakes here every single day, picking up fishing litter, yet the birds still keep falling victim to fishing tackle injuries. I feel so tired you guys 😞 seeing these sweet innocent animals hurt just breaks me.
Fishing is a form of animal abuse that extends far beyond the immediate harm inflicted on aquatic life. It causes widespread collateral damage to countless other species. One of the most insidious aspects of this practice is the disposal of fishing line. The common rebuttal is that anglers simply need to be more responsible and avoid littering. This framing is misleading. Littering is inherent to the act of fishing itself. Hooks frequently snag on submerged branches, jagged rocks, and other underwater debris. In an attempt to retrieve their hooks, anglers yank on the line. Sometimes they succeed, but often the line snaps, leaving a portion behind in the water. “It’s just one line,” every fisher tells themselves. Overtime this amount adds up. On land, fishing line can take hundreds of years to break down, and in low-oxygen aquatic environments, it is unclear whether it degrades at all. Studies on this are lacking. Objects that lines become tangled around, such as branches, can later float to the surface. Many bird species wade through shallow waters while foraging, making them especially vulnerable to submerged or partially submerged lines. Even more insidiously, birds sometimes unknowingly swim into active fishing lines while anglers are still casting. In their attempts to free themselves, they thrash about often causing the line to snap and leaving a portion wrapped tightly around them. As the bird pecks at the line in distress trying to get it off, it tightens further, cutting into flesh and restricting circulation. Whether discarded on land or beneath water, these nearly indestructible filaments coil around unsuspecting animals, slicing into their bodies and impairing their ability to move, hunt, or escape predators. Once abandoned, fishing line can persist in the environment for hundreds of years or more. In low-oxygen conditions, there is no clear evidence that it ever fully breaks down. These lines function as long-lasting torture devices, maiming and killing countless animals long before any degradation occurs. The harm continues even after death. Animals who die with fishing tackle on or inside their bodies are often consumed by scavengers or predators, passing the debris into another body and perpetuating the cycle of suffering. If we, as a society, condemn cruelty toward pets like cats and dogs, we must also question why anglers are permitted to endanger and harm so many other sentient beings with impunity. It is time to recognize fishing for what it truly is: a practice that inherently causes suffering and irreversible environmental damage.
