Fishermen blamed for death of swan (From Western Telegraph)

Fishermen blamed for death of swan

FISHERMEN have been blamed for the death of a swan at a South Pembrokeshire beauty spot.

The cob swan was found dead by a National Trust warden at the Bosherston Lily Pools. It had swallowed a hook and had become entangled with a fishing line.

The Trust admits that discarded fishing tackle is a major problem and is urging fishermen to be more careful.

It puts the lives of many creatures at risk, said Richard Ellis, the Trusts head warden in Pembrokeshire. Casualties in the past have included swans and herons.

Also at risk are the otters who live on the banks of the lakes where the tackle is often abandoned. The colony is protected by law and numbers are currently stable at Bosherston.

'National Trust staff have to spend many hours recovering line that has become entangled and abandoned,' says Mr Ellis.

'Fishermen whose fishing line does become entangled in lakeside vegetation are asked to report it to National Trust staff who will be only too pleased to come and deal with the problems, rather than leave it as a safety hazard to wildlife, condemning birds like this cob swan to a lingering death.'

Meanwhile, the Trust is awaiting post mortem results on an otter found badly injured at the ponds recently. The mature male otter had suffered horrific head wounds and it had to be put down.

It has yet to be established if the wound, consistent with a crush injury, had been inflicted deliberately. The autopsy should shed light on how the injury occurred.