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Snared Egret
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Snared Egret

by Wayne Willison

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted January 16, 2010832 views9 comments
I found this just yesterday, one of our beautiful, delicate, Great White Egrets, dead and tangled in fishing line.
I've seen lots of fishing lures and line hanging from trees in the Everglades, wherever roads run along canals, and thoughtless people stop to fish.
Why toss a line if you know you could never reach if it gets hung up across a canal?

When I see something like this I wonder how these brave men would like to go along on a hike deep into the swamp where they'd meet root and vine and critters, all of which could become a snare for them.



Comments

9 comments
Comment posted by Cam Held on January 16, 2010 at 7:05 PM
Wayne,
A very touching image. I hate seeing things like this. I wish those fishermen could see the result of their carelessness...:mad: As a fisherman myself (fly fisherman, so a little different :biggrin: ), I hate that these people consider themselves fishermen, and make a bad name for all of us. Fishing should be about the enjoyment of nature, not the destruction or exploitation of it... Arrghhh... That makes me sooo mad!
Thanks for sharing this.
-Cam
Registered on November 12, 2009, 59 Posts, 398 Comments
Comment posted by John Kerr on January 16, 2010 at 8:06 PM
Very powerful image Wayne. I can see this photo being used as a positive media source to help bring attention to the fragile balance between man and nature.
Registered on October 28, 2009, 111 Posts, 1070 Comments
Comment posted by Michael Lotito on January 16, 2010 at 9:43 PM
Hate seeing stuff like this. This is why tackle stores accept old line.
Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments
Comment posted by Angela Classen on January 19, 2010 at 11:13 AM
A very sad statement indeed. Congrats on the EP.
Registered on June 13, 2007, 434 Posts, 2742 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on January 19, 2010 at 12:36 PM
A strong image, but don't just say "men" anyone who fishes needs to be responsible for what they might leave behind.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Dayton on January 19, 2010 at 5:18 PM
A well earned award, Wayne, and more importantly thanks for the
revelation of what's happening out there.
Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments
Comment posted by Hank Pennington on January 22, 2010 at 2:22 PM
This is incredibly powerful Wayne, and an ideal photo for use by campaigns to do something about the problem. The use of the dark backdrop and reflection to help show detail in the egret and entangling line is absolutely perfect for the job.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments
Comment posted by mark cillo on January 24, 2010 at 2:39 PM
This is a shame, it is really easy to avoid leaving fishing line in the water like this. Thanks for sharing.
Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments
Comment posted by Dan Walters on January 25, 2010 at 10:03 AM
Very sad image but it really tells about the problems there. Hopefully images like this can help with that.
Thanks for sharing.
Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments