Riga municipality has cleaned the coastal zone and bed of Māra pond from fishing equipment lost or left during fishing, which can endanger swans and other water birds. During the works, fishing lines, hooks, sequins, weights and other items are highlighted from the pond and its surroundings.
‘A fishing line or hook that seems to a person to be only a small waste can cause serious injury to a swan or other waterfowl and even cost life. Therefore, such seemingly small cleaning works are actually very important. Māra pond is both a popular recreation place and a home for birds, and we need to make sure that objects left by people do not become a trap for them," emphasizes Edvards Ratnieks, Vice Mayor of Riga.
The cleaning of the Mara pond, organised by the Housing and Environment Department of the Riga City Council, has been carried out in three stages, re-surveying both the pond bed and the coastal area and the places where fishing is most intensive. Particular attention is also paid to the branches of trees in the water and bent over the water, in which fishing lines and sequins were trapped.
During the works, metal fishing weights and lead, hooks, sequins, fishing line and their fragments, feeders, as well as various other metal objects and waste were found and highlighted. Pond water area additionally tested for possible abandoned nets and traps.
In order to disturb the waterfowl in Māra pond as little as possible during cleaning, the works were carried out by a non-motorized rowing boat. For finding metallic objects in the pond bed, special structures with neodymium magnets have been used.
The municipality invites anglers to carefully collect lines, hooks and other accessories after fishing and not to leave them either in the water or on the shore. Even a small piece of fishing line can wrap around a bird's legs, wings or neck and pose a serious threat to its health and life.
Information prepared by: Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator, External Communication Division of Riga City Council, e-mail: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv.
