DISCARDED fishing tackle is posing a significant threat to marine habitats, beachgoers and wildlife and pets. That’s according to a Glenwood resident who recently stepped on a barbed hook and fishing line discarded in the sand near the uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve.
Vanessa Brummer said that pollution of the world’s oceans is a growing and pervasive problem and an added complication was that of discarded fishing tackle.
Brummer and several North Durban Honorary Officers were walking towards eMdloti beach when the accident happened.
While she did not require stitches, Brummer said the hook had lodged deeply into the soft tissue on the sole of her foot causing her to yelp in pain.
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“We were on the sand just beyond the reserve picking up any litter we spotted when I felt a jolt of pain. I immediately sank onto the ground and one of the honorary officers accompanying us had a look and said it was a hook. My immediate reaction was to just pull it out but he was adamant that would do more damage to the tissue of my foot because the hook was barbed.
“A few anglers nearby then helped as well, lending us a pair of pliers to snap the eye of the hook off first before gently removing it. I was lucky I didn’t require medical assistance but my biggest concern is children or wildlife getting hooked and potentially causing serious harm. Once we removed the hook we noticed it was quite new so it had recently been discarded. Of course not all anglers are to blame but there are some who just discard their fishing line which is causing significant damage to the environment and people,” she explained.
According to Brummer discarded fishing line is listed in the top 10 pollutants on beaches and river systems.
“Since then we’ve done a few clean-ups of the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve beach and in one walk we found a staggering amount of fishing line which is deeply concerning. I feel the solution is more education, as well as the availability of secure bins for old fishing line and hooks like the types found on uMhlanga main promenade and beach,” she said.
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