Pelican’s Death Due to Fishing Gear Prompts PETA Plea to Longmont Mayor: Trash the Fishing at Golden Ponds Park

For Immediate Release:
August 1, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Following reports that a pelican named Percy sustained severe injuries and ultimately died after discarded fishing line wrapped around his wing and an embedded hook caused wounds that turned necrotic, PETA sent a letter today to Longmont Mayor Joan Peck, urging her to ban fishing at Golden Ponds Park and Nature Area. To help prevent more deaths, PETA has also offered to provide signs to post around the park encouraging compassion for fish—and warning everyone that fishing is a threat to all of the area’s aquatic inhabitants.

PETA points out that every year, fishing leaves behind a trail of victims that includes millions of birds, turtles, and other animals who are killed or grievously injured after swallowing hooks or becoming entangled in nets or fishing line. Fishing is also abysmally cruel to its intended victims: A new study recently revealed that suffocation is as excruciating for fish as it is for humans, and those who are pulled from the water and left to asphyxiate can experience prolonged, debilitating pain before they become unconscious.

“Anglers have littered the waterways with hooks, lines, and sinkers that become death traps for all manner of wildlife,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is urging Longmont to make Golden Ponds a safer, kinder place for all by banning fishing.”

Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals—including aquatic ones—every year. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Mayor Peck follows.

August 1, 2025

The Honorable Joan Peck

Mayor of Longmont

Dear Mayor Peck:

Hello! I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally, including more than 100,000 in Colorado—in response to news that a pelican named Percy was severely injured after his wing became wrapped in fishing line and later turned necrotic due to a fishing hook embedded in it. This has rightfully sparked concerns about slob anglers who abandon fishing gear in the Golden Ponds Park and Nature Area. To help prevent future tragedies, will you please ban fishing at this park? We’d be happy to send you signs to post around the area encouraging compassion for fish and warning that other animals, such as birds, can strangle or choke to death on discarded hooks and line.

As you will appreciate, fishing hurts more than fish. Every year, anglers in the U.S. leave behind a trail of victims, including birds, turtles, and others who sustain debilitating injuries after swallowing fishhooks or becoming entangled in fishing line. Wildlife rehabilitators report that abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear is one of the greatest threats to aquatic animals and makes up about 10% of marine litter. Scientists estimate that 30% of the decline in some fish populations is a result of such fishing equipment.

Fishing disrespects the environment and the animals who live in it and sends the dangerous message that it’s fun to kill vulnerable individuals. Whether we like to think about it or not, every one of the estimated 1.1 billion freshwater fish U.S. anglers catch annually is a sentient being who feels fear and pain—especially when hooked through their sensitive mouth, which has many nerve endings. A recent study showed that fish gasp and endure intense pain for more than 20 minutes after being taken out of water—and even when they’re tossed back, they have been mutilated. Most of them still die slowly from their injuries and the trauma of being handled.

Clearly, there are many harmless ways to enjoy nature, such as bird-watching, hiking, and “trash fishing”—removing trash from waterways to beautify areas and make them safer for humans and other animals alike. We hope you’ll agree to ban fishing and hang our posters to discourage fishing at Golden Ponds, thereby making it safer for fish, birds, and other wildlife. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder