Mount Stewart couple worried about eagle caught in fishing net

A Mount Stewart couple is worried thatfishing gear used in the HillsboroughRiver may be endangering wildlife in the area.

Mike Nantausaid about two weeksago he saw an eagle tangled in the gill nets used to catch gaspereau.

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His wife, DebbieMisener,went out to attempt to free the bird, but as she approached it freed itself.

"Once the eagle saw us, he changed direction and faced down river, and he freed himself," said Misener. "Thank goodness because we didn't know what we were going to do with him actually."

"We had scissors and gloves, hoping we didn't need them, but we were going todo whatever we had to to get him out of that net," said Nantau.

Nantausaid that the incident was alarming to both of them.

"I was very concerned about the eagle, we have about a dozen of them here and we love them like our own pets," he said.

"So we don't like to see anything happen to them, and when that was happening we both got quite angry actually."

The couple contacted the province about the incident.

Under investigation

A few days laterNantau's neighbour Amy Seymour was walking her dog when shefound a dead seal in the same area.

The dog became fixated on a spot and Seymour became curious.

"I checked it out and saw a little seal pup," she said.

"It had obviously been injured, was recently deceased."

I know the guys put the nets out for a reason, and I know they've got an enterprise to maintain but there's got to be some checks and balances somewhere.- Mike Nantau

Provincial conservation authorities have confirmed the seal was found in an area where nets usually areandthey are investigating.

They said the cause of the seal's death is still unknown.

According to conservation officials seals sometimes do become entangled in fishing gear.

They also saidthe net was set legally by a commercial fisherman and a conservation officer working onthe case would speak with the fisherman as part of his investigation.

'Keep a watchful eye'

Conservation authorities said they'd been told about the eagle but couldn't confirm the incident because their officers hadn't seen it.

Nantausaid he has been living in Mount Stewart for seven years and has never seen this happen before.

"This is a rare occasion," he said. "I know the guys put the nets out for a reason, and I know they've got an enterprise to maintain but there's got to be some checks and balances somewhere."

"Gaspereau nets and baitfishing are a way of life here on the Island and especially in this community along the Hillsborough,"said Seymour."It would be great for citizens just to keep a watchful eye to make sure that we're all looking outfor our wildlife."

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has confirmed it is looking into a report of a dead seal in the vicinity of a gaspareau net.

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