Wildlife advocates and residents are renewing calls for tighter controls on recreational fishing in wetlands across the City of Stirling, following the death of a black swan found with a hook in its beak.

The City of Stirling is considering changing local laws to crack down on fishing in 16 lakes and wetlands, with public consultation on the changes closing today.

WA Seabird Rescue president Matt Watson says fishing-related entanglements are a “consistent and significant” cause of harm to birds in Perth wetlands.  

“We’re seeing the ingestion of hooks from black swans in particular,” he says.

The organisation says 19 incidents involving birds were recorded within the City of Stirling in 2025, including six black swans.  

The organisation rescue 2,500 birds each year across WA, with around 20 per cent of those cases linked to recreational fishing.

Despite this, Mr Watson says the organisation is not opposed to recreational fishing and believes responsible fishing and environmental protection can coexist.

“We’re not anti-fishing—we just believe recreational fishing needs to be done responsibly, in the right place, at the right time,” he says.

Former Recfishwest chief executive Frank Prokop says responsible anglers are being unfairly blamed for the actions of a small number of irresponsible individuals.

“It should be about negotiating how recreational fishers can undertake their activity while mitigating interactions with wildlife,” he says.

Mr Prokop says recreational fishing should continue to be managed under state legislation, rather than local council restrictions.

He’s also calling for more fishing line disposal units and environmental education to help reduce negative interactions between fishers and wildlife.

A Recfishwest spokesperson says the organisation also believes fisheries should continue to be managed under state legislation, warning inconsistent local government restrictions could create confusion for recreational fishers.