Appeal to anglers after swans injured by tackle

15 hours ago

Malia CartyNottingham

Helen Allott A swan in water with a fishing tackle embedded in its fur — A swan with a fishing fly caught in its feathers

A wildlife rescue has urged anglers to be careful while fishing in canals after a cygnet died and several others were injured by fishing gear.

Glenn Slaney, of Warsop Wildlife Rescue Team (WWRT), said there had been a large increase in call-outs to injured birds compared with last year along the Chesterfield Canal in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

Fifteen call-outs were to the same family of swans, he said, and various injuries were from fishing line, hooks and nets.

Slaney said: "We just urge anybody that would like to go fishing to just be a little bit respectful of your surroundings because a lot of the issues that we face specifically with fishing lures etc, they can be avoided."

Warning: This story contains images that readers may find distressing.

Slaney set up the charity rescue group in memory of his father, who had a passion for wildlife.

He has seen swans with various injuries, including a discarded fishing line that became wrapped around a bird's beak and throat.

After the bird was rescued, the centre ensured it received urgent veterinary treatment.

But, unfortunately, the cygnet died during surgery, said Slaney.

Calls about injured swans were "devastating", he added, and had taken their toll on the team emotionally.

"We never know what's going to be the outcome," said Slaney.

"We've been getting call after call after call to go to the same area of canal, although we have also been out to similar issues across other parts of the canal too."

Warsop Wildlife Rescue Team A swan's beak in someone's hand. The swan has a metal wire around its beak, which appears to be bleeding — A swan was helped by rescuers after fishing wire was found wrapped around its beak

In 2025, WWRT responded to six swan and fishing-related call-outs across the canal.

In the space of one month this year, six cygnets needed urgent veterinary treatment and five of those are still with the rescue recovering.

Retford Swan Watch has also seen an increase in injured swans and their offspring.

The organisation has 400 members dedicated to watching over their local swan population on a different stretch of the canal.

Kathy Denman, who runs the group, said in previous years swans being injured by fishing gear was not common and only happened once a year.

This year they had seen a total of eight cygnets injured and multiple adult swans, she said.

Warsop Wildlife Rescue Team A fishing hook embedded in the webbing of a swan's foot — Rescuers have found all manner of injuries, including a fishing hook caught in the webbing of a swan's foot

Slaney urged anglers who go fishing to be respectful of their environment and the local wildlife when discarding fishing lines, tackles, lures and hooks in bins.

Slaney added that he understood if fishing equipment was left behind or lost by accident, but encouraged the public to report it, so it could be recovered.

He hopes to gain support from the local council, police and relevant trusts to make the canal safer for the swans and cygnets.

However, there is no set date for when measures could be brought in to protect the birds.

"We're not saying that it is fishermen as a general rule. We don't blame all anglers; there is a lot of respectful anglers out there that do respect the wildlife that is present," added Slaney.

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