Wildlife advocates want to pause fishing at Arlington park after Great Blue Heron dies
Fishing line caught in tree at Menotomy Rocks Park in Arlington
By Mike Sullivan
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ARLINGTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Menotomy Rocks Park is a fishing haven for people looking for an easy catch in Arlington, Massachusetts. Environmentalists say all the activity is now impacting wildlife leading to the deaths of birds and turtles.
“One of them was a Great Blue Heron two weeks ago. As you can see in that photo, it got a hook through its wing, but it also had the line wrapped around its legs,” said Laura Kiesel, founder of Save Arlington Wildlife. “We know of two heron casualties just since late fall related to this. We have had turtles that have died with hooks all throughout their systems.”
Fishing lines caught in trees
Kiesel says fishermen get their lines stuck in the trees around the pond, and those dangling lines and bobbers can act like a spiderweb catching birds flying through.
“Once a fisherman gets into the trees, he can’t pull it out,” said Jack Rossin, who came to the pond to fish with his grandson. “If they would prune the branches, that would make it a lot easier, and people just need to be responsible.”
Save Arlington Wildlife had a clean-up crew with special equipment come through and attempt to clean up the fishing gear at the park, but just days later, the debris was back.
Asking for fishing moratorium
“At this point, we are asking for a pause or a moratorium on the fishing waste. We just aren’t seeing any other good mitigative options,” said Kiesel.
The temporary fishing halt would allow for environmentalists and the town to come up with a plan to keep the debris down. On Thursday night, she took her plea to the Arlington’s Conservation Commission, and on April 29 she spoke with the Parks and Recreation Department.
WBZ reached out to the Parks and Rec department for comment but have yet to hear back.
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