Pelican caught in fishing line left with 30cm tear in pouch unable to catch fish, Tweed

A pelican rescued with a gaping tear in its beak leaving it unable to catch fish has tragically passed away. WARNING: GRAPHIC

A pelican rescued with a gaping tear in its beak leaving it unable to catch fish has tragically passed away.

The pelican, rescued off a waterway in Tweed Heads South was taken to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital on Sunday, after a hook was thought to have ripped its gular pouch open.

Tragically, the bird passed away overnight despite being on the road to recovery. It is unknown why it died.

The incident has again highlighted the damage fishing equipment and discarded lines cause to local wildlife.

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The pelican tragically passed away. Picture: Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers

Earlier this year Rowley Goonan of Gold Coast Wild Bird Rescues wrote to the government calling for a lower limit on the number of lines anglers can rig up, as well as more education.

It followed another pelican death where a hook tore a gaping hole in one of its wings.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital’s head vet Dr Michael Pyne said while a reduction of stray fishing equipment was key, it was even more important people stopped feeding wildlife.

“The message here is not to feed them, this happens as a result of people feeding them,” he said.

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The gaping tear in the pelican's beak. Picture: Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers

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“The pelican thinks he’s been given bait but the hook gets caught in the pouch. Feeding them teaches them to hang around. That’s when these accidents happen.”

Dr Pyne said the 30cm tear meant the bird would have been unable to catch fish, with the pelican needing just under 100 stitches to close the wound.

Mary Grant, an experienced sea bird rescuer for Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers who originally captured the pelican, agreed that discarded fishing equipment was a big problem.

“It was shocking, absolutely shocking,” she said.

“Many of the locals leave their fishing lines set up and sure enough, something will get the bait and get caught on the fishing line. It’s an ongoing problem.”

She said the local Tackle Bin Project, which encourages fisherman to put their leftover fishing line in a bin, had helped to reduce the amount of birds caught around northern NSW.