Call for ban on fishing along Lockport shoreline section after pelicans get tangled in lines

A person fishes near the Lockport dam in Manitoba on Aug. 12, 2015.

People working in the area below the Lockport dam have recently discovered pelicans tangled in fishing line.

It’s been happening near a popular recreational fishing hole and now some want the area closed off to anglers to protect the birds from getting hurt or killed.

Just last Saturday, Ray Capacete was fishing in the area when a pelican got caught in his line while he was casting into the Red River.

“One of them just flew by and my hook got tangled in one of them and I tried pulling him but then I just let him go," said Capacete.

He's allowed to fish here but some want that changed.

That's because hundreds of pelicans also patrol these waters in search of a meal.

Fishing guide Stu Mckay wants a larger boundary to keep fishers out of the area and protect the pelicans.

He started a petition on change.org calling on the provincial and federal governments to ban sport fishing along a “small portion” of the shoreline.

He said pelicans can be hurt and sometimes killed when they get tangled in fishing line.

An area extending 23 metres from the corner of the dam is already off-limits to anglers and temporary fencing is installed every year to discourage people from casting towards what’s known as the fish ladder (a passage to allow fish to access the other side of the dam).

So far, no further changes have been made.

The federal government said enforcement of fishing regulations is the province’s responsibility.

Natural Resource Officer Robert Belanger said the restricted area is more about protecting fish than it is pelicans. Belanger said it's up to anglers to make sure their fishing line doesn't come into contact with the birds.

"We are always educating anglers in the Lockport area to not discard their leftover fishing line because it is so detrimental to birds,” he said.

“We are down here daily and talking to people, reminding them to pick it up and that's the reason. We can't control everybody's actions but we really try to do our part to try and make it a bit better for birds."

It's not just lines in the water raising concern but also scraps scattered along the shore which is also a hazard for pelicans.

Capacete wishes more anglers would take it to the trash bins located on site.

"Just to keep them safe because they're (pelicans) living things also, right."

Anglers who leave fishing line in the water or on the shore can be fined for littering.

Since May, natural resource officers have handed out 55 tickets in the area for various fishing infractions.