Of this family of seven swans in the inner west, just two are left. Locals say fishers are to blame

On a mild Saturday morning in Melbourne’s inner west, ecological groups convened a kind of emergency cabinet meeting.

A cafe became their war room – representatives from five different groups, huddled around a long table, clutching lattes and showing visible signs of distress. “We need to talk about the swans.”

Within the hour, a new mega group was formed in response to the destruction of a local swan family: Maribyrnong River Wildlife Protection.

In November last year, the swans bred in wetlands by the Maribyrnong River in Footscray, having five cygnets, two of which died soon after, potentially killed by a fox or cat.

More deaths followed.

Three of the swans – the adult female and two cygnets – were euthanised within about four weeks between late April and May. All were entangled with fishing hooks or fishing line.

Only two of the original seven swans, the adult male and one cygnet, are left.

“The swans had almost become local celebrities,” Maribyrnong River Wildlife Protection spokesman Darrell Pitt said.

“It was devastating, and also what really struck us was just the completely pointless nature of it.

“There’s a relatively small number of people who actually fish along the Maribyrnong, but to have the actions of so few people cause so much damage – it’s really heartbreaking.”

The coalition of “friends of” groups and other community members is poised to lobby the council, state government and authorities to prevent more fishing-related wildlife deaths in the river.

It will also argue more needs to be done about the river’s cleanliness, as rubbish piles up.

The latest swans to die were euthanised just eight days apart, after they were found injured on land between Footscray Wharf and Saltriver Place. The adult female swan was limping, while the cygnet was unable to stand, lame from infection.

It was the “tipping point” for the groups to act as a collective, Pitt said.

Swans can mate for life, which made the loss particularly distressing.

“There’s a lot of desire in the community to clean up the river and keep it clean, and for the river to play a really big role in their lives,” Pitt said.

The group is demanding improved education about responsible fishing practices along the river, including more signage translated into various languages.

The Victorian government’s second rollout of Little Angler Kits to almost 1900 schools later this year will also be a focal point, as the kits lack specific written guidance about how to properly dispose of fishing gear, or avoid hurting wildlife, the group said.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority, which runs the angler kits program, publishes a free recreational fishing guide annually, advising fishers about how to safely remove hooks and dispose of unwanted fishing line. The guide is translated into several languages.

The authority distributes more than 100,000 copies of the guide to tackle shops, bait stores and tourist information centres every year.

“Recreational fishers are stewards of our waterways and care deeply for our fisheries and natural environment,” a spokeswoman for the authority said.

“Most fishers do the right thing and dispose of waste in bins or utilise our ‘Seal the Loop’ program with Melbourne Zoo to secure fishing gear in handy containers.”

Maribyrnong Mayor Mohamed Semra said the Maribyrnong River was an important part of the community, and keeping wildlife and plants healthy was a priority for the council.

“We are currently working on plans to install new fishing line bins to help people do the right thing, and an education program to raise awareness of the consequences of careless fishing practices like abandoning tackle,” he said.

The protection group said while there’s a lot of talk about making the Yarra River “swimmable”, the Maribyrnong River deserves more attention and care.

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