Swan trust wants anglers to reel in lines
The body responsible for managing Perth's Swan and Canning rivers has pleaded with recreational anglers to dispose of their fishing line safely after a series of wildlife incidents.
Launching a campaign yesterday, the Swan River Trust said it was setting up 20 dedicated "disposal units" around the rivers in a bid to discourage fishers from throwing line into the water.
The move, backed by Recfishwest, Native Animal Rescue and five metropolitan councils, comes amid evidence that birds and dolphins are dying from discarded fishing line.
Chris Mather, the trust's river-park manager, said stray fishing line disproportionately affected the waterway's small population of dolphins.
However, other wildlife, including pelicans and shearwaters, were also harmed by the waste.
"Three dolphins have died as a result of injuries caused by fishing waste in the last five years," Mr Mather said.
"A fourth dolphin, Fingers, which has been visiting the river park for 20 years from Cockburn, has life- threatening injuries caused by an entanglement of his tail fluke and he has not been sighted since July."
Mr Mather said the bins were being installed at popular fishing spots including jetties, fishing platforms, traffic bridges and boat ramps as part of a 12-month trial.
Based on similar pilot projects in other States, it was hoped the bins would collect up to 4km of fishing line a year.
Recfishwest chief executive Andrew Rowland urged amateur fishermen to get behind the project.
"All responsible fishers know the damage discarded fishing line can cause to wildlife and the majority of them are out there doing the right thing," Dr Rowland said.
"Fishing line placed in bins can still find its way into the river through other means such as animals scavenging through bins and overflowing bins.
"These specially designed fishing line units will eliminate this and educate the wider community about the importance of correctly disposing of fishing waste."
