Osprey death prompts Brightwaters to issue warning on fishing-related incidents

Brightwaters is calling attention to reckless fishing practices in village lakes after the recent death of an osprey and an injured swan, just days apart.

In an email to residents, village Mayor John Valdini said an osprey drowned after becoming entangled in a fishing line that was in the water. A few days later, wildlife volunteers rescued a swan with a hook and bob lodged in his neck.

These two incidents are among hundreds of calls that wildlife rehabbers on Long Island respond to in a year. In his email, Valdini asked residents to clean up after themselves near the lakes and implored parents to speak with their children about "the importance of responsible actions while enjoying outdoor activities."

“We’ve had incidents just about every year where a swan or a goose will be affected by string or hook or carelessness on the part of the fishermen,” Valdini said in an interview.

Fishing is permitted at four out of the five lakes in the village for Brightwaters children who are 18 and under, Valdini said, as well as at Gilbert Park.

Code officers have been asking adult fishers who are not with kids to leave, he said.

The number of kids fishing in the lakes seems to have doubled since the pandemic, Valdini said, based on his own observations, but not all seem to understand the responsibility that comes with the hobby. 

“The kids in the community go out fishing … and they don’t pay attention so much to where they cast,” said Christine Miceli, a New York State wildlife rehabilitator with Strong Island Animal Rescue League. She was part of the team that rescued the swan in Brightwaters in June.

Fishing lines sometimes get caught in nearby trees and, when cut, are left partly hanging in the water, which poses a risk to birds in the lakes, she said.

The village is looking into solutions for the problem, Valdini said, but has not settled on any changes yet. 

“We don’t want to say no fishing. People have been fishing on the lakes for a hundred years,” he said.

Strong Island responded to more than 300 distress calls across Long Island last year, Miceli said. Many of those calls were reporting similar incidents to the ones in Brightwaters, she said, adding the organization does not track freshwater fishing gear-related incidents.

Neither does the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which also responds to injured wildlife, according to a spokeswoman for the agency. 

A spokesperson for the National Audubon Society said there is no "definitive data on how often birds encounter fishing gear." 

John Di Leonardo, executive director at Humane Long Island, an animal advocacy nonprofit that opposes fishing as a sport, said the group "rescues countless birds from debilitating fishing injuries every year."

Licensed fishers are responsible for reducing potential negative impacts on wildlife, a DEC spokeswoman said, such as by always using appropriate gear and properly disposing of it.

Fishers should also cut line as close to the hook as possible, retrieve any cut line, avoid casting near wildlife, and avoid feeding fish and wildlife, the spokeswoman said.

Lucas Miller, 15, of Babylon, fishing in Brightwaters with friends recently, said the group never leaves behind lines or hooks.

“It's terrible that people leave lines behind. But we've taught our kids to pick it up when they see it,” said Jim Miller, 54, Lucas’ father and a seasonal charter boat fisherman.

Kids “need to be taught the right way,” he said, adding that required educational courses might be a good option.

To report injured wildlife, the DEC advises calling a local DEC regional wildlife office or contacting a nearby wildlife rehabilitator. 

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.