(This story has been updated since it was originally posted.)
A biology student living near Hastings Park suspects a duck he spotted Tuesday evening with a fishhook lodged into what looked like a broken wing is just the tip of the iceberg.
Sean McCann noticed the female mallard at around 7 p.m. Tuesday night. The hook is one of many seen hanging in trees and plants since an urban fishing program was introduced to the Sanctuary at Hastings Park in June.
The Courier reported at the time that despite community protest, on May 23 the last of 900 sterilized rainbow trout were released into the Sanctuary pond. The program is a joint project between the Pacific National Exhibition, the city and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. In May, the society paid for a pier to be built from where people can fish and the PNE had a wheelchair accessible ramp and stairs installed.
At the time, Mike Gass, outreach coordinator for the Victoria-based Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., said once the pond was stocked, fishing season was open to anyone 16 and older with a fishing rod and valid freshwater fishing licence.
Im surprised theyd just put those trout in without an environmental study, said McCann. It was hasty and premature.
Dave Hutch, project manager for the Hastings Park Master Plan, said at the time that such studies arent required for man-made lakes.
The Courier reported in June that the Hastings Park Conservancy, Friends of Hastings Park and some residents werent happy with the plan. A main concern was that abandoned fishhooks would endanger some of the hundreds of migrating birds that frequent the pond. There were also concerns the increased noise and human activity would be disruptive to ducks and other aquatic birds nesting on the secluded north end of the pond.
McCann suspects the duck became snagged on a fishhook and broke its wing attempting to free itself.
This unfortunate bird is probably only one of many that have been or will be adversely affected by this change in the way the park is used, McCann wrote on his blog. Hopefully this will help change some minds about having an unaccountable private entity control one of our public parks. Hastings Park is one of my favourite nearby places to go to see wildlife, and it would be a shame if injuries like this become the norm for the birds nesting and migrating through the park.
PNE spokesperson Laura Ballance said in response to a message on the citys 311 service line, PNE and park board staff managed to capture the mallard Wednesday and remove the hook. They then transported the duck to the Burnaby-based WRA Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C.
The bird seems to be doing fine, said Ballance. Theyre giving it antibiotics because it has what they called wing droop. Its not broken.
Ballance said this is the only incident of its kind the PNE is aware of and its expected the duck will be released back to the wild in a few days. She added a staff member visits the Sanctuary every hour to speak to people fishing in the pond and remind them to take their gear and hooks back out with them.
This is an unfortunate incident with a happy resolution that was dealt with quickly and successfully, said Ballance. That said, the [urban fishing program] has been very successful.
twitter.com/sthomas10
