A Westbury councillor has urged ‘a small minority’ of people to be more mindful of the town’s wildlife after two incidents in which birds became tangled in discarded fishing lines.
At The Mead last month a duck – which did eventually free itself – got tangled in discarded fishing line. An anonymous poster alerted locals to the situation on the Spotted Westbury Facebook page and wrote, “It’s quite distressing to see. I wanted to help but [it was] too far in to the water and had my little girl with me. I think he has got his foot stuck and is trying to free himself and is flapping a lot and exhausting himself.”
The incident came after a cygnet also got stuck in a fishing line at Vivash Park last year. Despite the intervention of Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital, it emerged that the baby swan had ingested the line, and its injuries were so severe that it had to be euthanised.
Councillor Mike Sutton, speaking at Westbury Town Council’s management of services committee on 11th February, said he had been left ‘very distressed’ at the incidents.
At the meeting, council staff said it was unclear whether the fishing line the duck got caught in had been dumped recently or had been a ‘historic’ piece of litter. A community ranger had been deployed to walk around The Mead and hadn’t spotted any more pieces of fishing line.
Councillor Sutton said after the committee meeting, “Westbury Town Council has a policy of enhancing our green spaces for the benefit of residents and visitors whilst keeping them as natural as possible.
“Amongst our green spaces are Vivash Park and The Mead. It is a delicate balance between making these areas available for the public and the protection of wildlife. At Vivash Park we have upgraded and improved the facilities for fishermen including new landing stages and want residents to enjoy fishing in the solitude of the park.
“However, recently there have been incidents of wildlife being caught in discarded fishing lines at Vivash Park and The Mead and whilst these incidents are caused by a small minority of inconsiderate users we may have to review our policy if they continue.
“Having spent money on resources improving and upgrading fishing facilities at Vivash Park we want fishing to continue providing the rules are followed. Having just taken over The Mead in January we are in the process of considering how best to manage the area both for the public and nature.”
Below: The fishing line recycling bin at Vivash Park
Vivash Park
Rubbish in the water at Vivash Park
Ducks at the Mead
