by Mike Ramy
Caught in a Trap
See Large Version - HERE
The results of lost fishing line can be devastating to wild life as we witnessed on a recent River outing. This Great Blue Heron had entangled itself in monofilament line discarded by a careless individual and was struggling with trying to free itself. The line, with a bobber still attached, was wrapped around the wing and the leg making it impossible for the GBH to put it's foot down any further than seen in this image.
Monofilament fishing line is an amazingly strong substance that gets snagged on many elements in the environment. Little thought is given by a vast majority of fisherman to snapping the line when it invariably gets tangled; other than “darn that was my favorite lure”. Just look around trees and shrubs next to favorite fishing holes and see how much fishing line is strewn at the waters edge, on the ground and snagged in the vegetation. To protect wildlife and the environment, always take all line with you when you leave.
Monofilament kills wildlife indiscriminately. Both common and protected species of birds have been observed with fishing line tangled around their legs, wings and beaks. Once entangled, the bird has limited or no options for defense or the ability to feed itself. It only takes one line snagged in a tree to entangle and kill. It only takes one careless person to trash a place; then again it only takes one caring individual to clean it up. Do your part, knowing that your efforts are appreciated.
We tried to help this victim of improperly discarded fishing line but were unable to get close enough to the disabled Heron at the edge of the Cypress Swamp. Hand held from boat, 85% of full frame, lighting provided by a bright sunset reflecting off the water.
File name: RAMY_4280_CF58
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Shooting Date/Time 3/25/2015 6:43:24 PM
Author Michael Ramy
Copyright Notice CopyRight Rock Art, Ltd All Rights Reserved
Shooting Mode Shutter-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/1600
Av(Aperture Value) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -3
ISO Speed 250
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Focal Length 400.0mm
Comments
8 commentsA good illustration of the problem lost or abandon fishing gear presents. Good that the line can be seen. Thanks for sharing.
Mike, the sharpness and tonal quality of this image perfectly demonstrates the GBH predicament in it's own habitat. I was hoping for a great rescue story but can say thanks for your effort. This image makes a great educational tool for young fishermen/women in the preservation of our wildlife and their habitat. I am afraid such educational efforts are alrady lost on ondividuals such as the one who left the lline behind. Thanks for posting this top quality image and using it to tell the tale.
Excellent job documenting this Mike! But as long as there are fisherman, the suffering will persist I'm afraid.
You want to do something but can't. It starts with the individual, and I commend your efforts here.
At the end of the day, it's just another sad story/example of mans negative influence on nature.. And a reality that's very hard to accept.
Reminds me of that Einstein quote: "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one"
Try & tell that to the heron
I love this picture, but hate the situation of the stunning bird. Excellent representation of man's affect on the environment. Nicely done.
Congrats Mike on this POTM ! Well-deserved ! Cheers, Hans
Wow!, good shot here Mike. Congratulations on the POTM. Great color and details, DOF, etc. Too bad this is such a tangled mess. Good story.