Fisherman’s fight with seagull reveals ‘terrifying’ problem on Aussie beaches

At first glance, this striking image appears to show a fight between a fisherman and a seagull. But there’s a darker story behind this beachside encounter that centers around a practice animal rescuers describe as “horrific”.

Photographer Paul Fenton was strolling along Pyramids Beach south of Perth when he noticed the seabird tangled in the line.

He had no intention of taking photographs of seagulls during his visit – he was more interested in the large birds – a large species of fish-eating hawk. But the photo he snapped of the common beach species was the most powerful photo he took that day.

That’s because the fisherman fighting the seagull was about to commit an act that regularly kills and maims seabirds around Australia.

“By the time I saw this happening down on the beach, there was no way I could intervene. It was too far,” Fenton told Yahoo News. “He was ready to cut the line. So I just stood up and fired a shot.”

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Fenton watched helplessly as the fisherman cut his line, showing little concern for the bird’s welfare. As the fisherman returned to his rods, the seagull flew into the air still struggling to free itself from the meters of discarded line.

“The bird flew away, still entangled, but managed to free itself after a few dives and swings,” Fenton said.

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While the seagull was lucky to be freed from the fishing line, the practice of simply cutting the free line when it gets tangled around birds, or stuck underwater, has a devastating impact on wildlife.

“I was a keen angler for many years – all through my teenage years. The 20s and 30s,” Fenton said. “When I got serious about photography, I really started to see the damage that fishing was doing. So I stopped.”

‘Fishing line is why so many seagulls only have one leg’

His photo was taken in April, but this week Fenton shared it with volunteers at Western Australian Seabird Rescue, who published it online for the first time.

Since January, its members have rescued 120 entangled birds. The problem is not just about seagulls, they have helped 25 different species, including cockatoos, galahs, swans, ducks and bowers. Pelicans are also often caught and entangled by hook and line. And pets are also often affected.

Volunteer rescuer Sharon Manson told Yahoo that fishing line often injures the birds’ legs.

“It’s really terrifying when you see it all every day. The fishing line is why so many seagulls only have one leg, and there are many that don’t actually have legs at all,” she said.

“Often the problem is fishing line, but sometimes it’s cotton, or even human hair. Because birds have very weak legs, it doesn’t take much to either damage the nerves or slice and dice the leg.

Rescuer shares devastating images of entangled seagulls

Manson has shared a series of disturbing photos showing the devastating impact of the problem on birds.

A picture taken two weeks ago still causes disappointment. “Fortunately, a photographer saw it. She noticed he couldn’t fly well and his head was down,” Manson said.

“She was wondering why he kept looking at his feet and when she zoomed in on her camera, she could see that his beak was attached to his leg with fishing line.

“Thankfully we were able to catch it and get it all out.”

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Simple advice for anglers who want to stop harming seabirds

Western Australian Seabird Rescue said the entanglement problem is one that would be easy to reduce.

Most affected birds are fixated on cutting the line, so his message to the angler is to gently reel the bird in instead.

“If the hook is superficial and can be removed, do it carefully. Otherwise call a rescue group or take him to a vet,” a spokesperson said.

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