Grenadier Pond, High Park - Fishing...and Wire

[KPaw]

Spent  about an hour tonight trying to free a poor gosling who was severely tied up in fishing wire – with a huge long piece dragging behind him – clearly, facing certain death during the night.  The poor thing was unable to walk properly it was so tangled .. with its foot wrapped around its neck and bill, etc….in real distress and crying.   Long story short, a couple were also very concerned and finally we had success - the woman distracted the parents and other babies with treats and the man grabbed the gosling while I, with difficulty as that wire is super tough, cut it in various places with a pen-knife borrowed from a passer-by.  Once a number of places were cut we were able to unravel it and remove it from around his feet and neck… he then walked away free of the dreaded stuff….The poor thing definitely walked away just fine but, hopefuly, he didn't swallow the hook or any part of it.  

That fishing wire is horrible stuff and so dangerous…I wish somehow someway somebody could regulate/control/monitor the fishing situation at Grenadier Pond.. it’s worse this year with  fishing taking place right where all the geese, mallards and wood ducks are attending to their families.  While perhaps the majority of those fishing do so in a responsible manner, all it takes is a few who do not dispose of things properly for a very tragic situation to occur.

I did call Toronto Wildlife and 311 but with no success in getting a person at all.

[paul_reeves]

Great news on freeing the Gosling.

While out photographing birds I am always running into people fishing and you can see discarded line everywhere. It is too bad something can't be done about it.

Paul

[KPaw]

Hi Paul, send an e-mail to jture@toronto.ca.. he is the High Park Supervisor and the more of us that bring this to his attention the better.. thanks for replying!

[paul_reeves]

Will do.

I haven't been to High Park for a few weeks so I am not sure how bad it is right now. I was at Rouge Park on Friday and there must have been 20+ people fishing. Tommy Thompson Park, which is supposed to be a bird refuge always has several people fishing. I have to wonder how many of them have licences.

Paul

[Leslie]

Within Toronto, you should call 311 to report discarded fishing line, tangled birds etc. not for the swift response but because these are the calls that are logged.
If the incident concerns High Park, the call is forwarded to the park Supervisor for attention.

[Leslie]

There are now signs warning of the hazards of discarded fishing line posted along Grenadier Pond.
You can see what one looks like on the fish page on High Park Nature's web site:
http://www.highparknature.org/wiki/wiki ... dlife.Fish

Many thanks to KPaw, the park supervisor and all the others who made this happen.

[cloaca]

"Tommy Thompson Park, which is supposed to be a bird refuge always has several people fishing. I have to wonder how many of them have licences."

----

Where is it said that Tommy Thompson Park is a bird refuge?    Fishing is very much an allowed activity on the spit.

Why do you wonder how many of them have licences?   Why is it always an "us vs. them" with these issues?

Nice work on the Grenadier sign, though.

[paul_reeves]

When you have been lying flat on the ground for over 20 minutes waiting for the Wood Duck to come in closer so you can get a good photograph, only to have a fisherman come right next to you, cast his line in the water right next to the Wood Duck scaring it away, then tell you he has the right to fish wherever he wants, then you will know where my "us vs them" comes from.

My apologies with that response, but that is how I feel; most people that I have seen fishing don't care what other wildlife is around, they just cast away.

The sign is a good start, though.

Paul

[GStuart]

The problem of discarded fishing line (at least in one location) is making the papers.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article ... in-the-gta

[KPaw]

Hi everyone, the signs in High Park at Grenadier Pond reminding those fishings to properly dispose of their equipment are a good start.    After I untangled that poor gosling I immediately e-mailed the chair of the nature committee of High Park and she and Jorge Ture then quickly got those signs up (my photo is on the sign)...they moved very quickly in response to my story of the gosling and that is excellent.   However, this past Saturday High Park held it's annual Family Fishing Day and the place was full of people fishing everywhere, in every corner of Grenadier Pond.   Lots of little Mallard familes right now in addition to numerous large Wood Duck families and, of course, young children under minimal supervision were hurling their long fishing lines into the pond right where these ducklings like to spend their time.    

In my opinion, the Family Fishing Day is a disaster in the making and I seriously wonder why it is held when it poses so much potential for problems that ten signs are not going to overcome....just seems odd to have warning signs and then absolutley encourage the very activity that you are warning against...just my two cents..

[Reuven_M]

When you have been lying flat on the ground for over 20 minutes waiting for the Wood Duck to come in closer so you can get a good photograph, only to have a fisherman come right next to you, cast his line in the water right next to the Wood Duck scaring it away, then tell you he has the right to fish wherever he wants, then you will know where my "us vs them" comes from.

My apologies with that response, but that is how I feel; most people that I have seen fishing don't care what other wildlife is around, they just cast away.

The sign is a good start, though.

Paul

Or from the fisherman's perspective, someone is getting mad at him for fishing at his favorite spot where he is totally allowed to. You have no right or expectation of privacy in an urban park. 99% of people or more in Toronto don't care what other wildlife is around.

[KPaw]

Saw a gander lying down in the grass at Grenadier Pond Sunday evening and, of course, he was hopelessly tangled in fishing wire.   Long story short, I sat with him for four hours Monday and Toronto Wildlife came and got him.   He will be sedated while the wire is removed from his legs, which had swollen, and get checked over.   I'm sure he will also get some sound rest and food... Poor thing was dehydrated and listless as his legs were bound together as were some of his tail feathers.

Toronto  Wildlife was terrific in their response and I was so relieved to see this gander netted and, of course, we immediately cut the horrid wire to give him some quick relief.

...yeah...there are signs up at GP warning about the careless disposal of fishing wire...also, so, I called both numbers on the signs (Ministry of Natural  Resources TIPS and 311) and was told by both places to call the High Park Supervisor, Jorge Ture.   Called Jorge Ture directly and he told me to call ....the TIPS number and 311....Unreal.    You can imagine the frustration.  Councillor Sarah Douchette has been advised of this latest incident and of the break-down of any cohesive communication vis-a-vis the signage and the numbers listed.  

Toronto Wildlilfe certainly feels fishing should be banned at Grenadier Pond as there are too many incidents involving injured waterfowl and birds (a bird was found hanging from a tangled mess of wire in branches).   Plus, the MNR doesn't enforce or regulate or monitor the license reguirements.    It's just a free-for-all of unregulated activity with disasterous consequences.

To repeat, TWC was just excellent in their response... they were pleasant and timely and they really do a fabulous job and they really care....