You Hooked a Pelican While Fishing — Here’s What to Do (and What Not To)
If your line comes up short and you realize a pelican or other bird is now on the other end of it, the first instinct might be to just cut the line and let the bird go. Don’t. Wildlife officials say that’s actually the worst thing you can do.
Don’t cut the line
According to guidance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, cutting the line leaves the bird trailing monofilament and possibly still carrying a hook. That line can tangle around the bird’s wings, feet, or beak later, and monofilament is nearly invisible underwater and can persist for hundreds of years — so a “quick release” now can turn into a slow, ongoing injury.
What to do instead: reel, remove, release
The recommended steps are simple:
- Reel the bird in gently rather than cutting it loose.
- Remove the hook and any line, once the bird is under control.
- Release the bird only after it’s fully free of hook and line.
A real-world example of this happened at NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Panama City, where a brown pelican showed up entangled in heavy fishing line with a double-barbed treble hook embedded in its wing. Staff biologists there restrained the bird, snipped the barb off the hook, removed it, and unwound several feet of line — a process that took about 10 minutes. The pelican stayed calm throughout and flew off afterward.
A few practical notes
- Snipping the barb off a hook (rather than trying to pull it back through) is part of how the hook was safely removed in that case.
- The bird should be checked over — and released — only once it’s completely free of line and hooks, not partway through.
- If you’re not confident handling the bird yourself, the safest option is to keep it calm and get it to trained help rather than improvising.
This is general guidance, not a substitute for official instructions — if you’re ever unsure in the moment, check the latest guidance from your local wildlife agency before acting.
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