Perth Voice Interactive

A THOUGHTLESS fisher tossing away their tackle has killed an oblong turtle on the Maylands foreshore.

The shoreline is stacked with bins specifically for fishing line.

Bayswater council workers recovered the turtle from the Maylands Lakes, describing the animal as “hopelessly entangled in fishing line that was wrapped around its body and neck”.

The species is endemic to south west WA and is listed as “near threatened,” which is a relatively mild category.

The population in Maylands has had a rough run of late with the environment suffering salinity and acidity problems.

In May a white-faced heron nearly died after being entangled in fishing line nearby, only saved when council workers discovered the beast while working on a remediation trial to fix up Baigup Wetlands.

Last year more than 30 turtles mysteriously vanished from an enclosure where they were being kept during the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary restoration. No one knows if they were stolen or eaten.

The fishing line disposal bins were installed by the parks and wildlife department in December 2014 and in the first year they collected 14.7km of fishing line, 2379 hooks and sinkers, 2048 bait bags and 286 other fishing odds and ends.

by DAVID BELL