Thread: Pelican Rant

Originally Posted by bodebum

And the conservationists got the chemicals banned that was causing many bird specie to disappear, so if they had been stopped, we might not have this problem.

Don't disagree with that at all. In fact, I applaud their efforts at bringing many species back from the brink. But that's only half the job. Kinda like like the dog that chases cars and one day he actually catches one. His buddy looks at him and asks, "Ok, big guy, now that you've caught it, what the hell are you gonna do with it?"

@ #r: I thought all weekend about what you said regarding carcass disposal. I see another fight coming somewhere down the road. And if it's Fishermen vs Pelicans, you don't have to be very bright to figure out who's going to win that battle - in very short order. That scares me and smart money is at least thinking about what to do if (when) it comes to a head.

IMHO we need to be proactive about this and suggest they install some kind of 'drop chutes' (down to the waterline) to allow carcasses to be disposed of properly instead of being scavenged by these 'freeloading' pelicans and gulls that crap all over the pier.

Recently as I walked by the cleaning station there was a woman hand feeding those young pelicans fish SKINS (with the scales still attached). The stupid birds were trying their damnedest to choke the skins down even though it had practically no nutritional value.
I'm not sure who was dumber the bird or the woman!

Originally Posted by Pier#r

IMHO we need to be proactive about this and suggest they install some kind of 'drop chutes' (down to the waterline) to allow carcasses to be disposed of properly instead of being scavenged by these 'freeloading' pelicans and gulls that crap all over the pier.

Recently as I walked by the cleaning station there was a woman hand feeding those young pelicans fish SKINS (with the scales still attached). The stupid birds were trying their damnedest to choke the skins down even though it had practically no nutritional value.
I'm not sure who was dumber the bird or the woman!

Saw he same thing yesterday afternoon. Guys feeding sheepie carcasses to the pelicans - a skeleton with two flaps of skin and scales attached to it.
With a chute to drop crap down, at least it would get the pelicans off the pier - they might or might not continue to feed on the stuff dropped down under the pier

Offer some education. Here's a sign, " If you Love the Wild Birds, Do not feed them SCRAPS!" I don't really know the best answer to this problem, but I do know that feeding the gulls and 'cans is not a help to them. In the early '90s, my wife had bought a new Buick Regal. We came down and were fishing at the sea wall at Perdido. She liked to give her pinfish to the herons, tho we all tried to convince her not to. They started perching behind her, waiting. On the Buick. Roof. Hood. When someone asked "Who's car is this?", she turned around and went ballistic. Her behavior was maybe a little illegal, but she moved the birds and their talons off her car. And quit encouraging them. I still have to laugh when we remember that day.

Just a thought but why don't they have a working dog to keep them scared off the pier like some marinas do. Seems to me that would be the safest thing for people and birds. People wouldn't be temped to feed them and birds wouldn't stay there so they would keep their natural habits and feed on thier own. (just my 2cts)

Some people would feed the hound fish scraps and he would go tell his buds, and the next thing you know the whole place has gone to the dogs. LOL

Yeah, I know...

Thanks for the suggestion.
The other day I heard an idea about a 'bird of prey kite' to scare them away.

When people quit feeding them, they will leave.

There are "Do Not Feed the Birds" signs being made and will be posted on the pier.
Believe it or not, we now have a Ranger over the pier that actually cares about what the locals/regulars think and want.
Please understand that things don't happen fast when you are getting approval from higher ups that are clueless.

That part about a fish carcass disposal chute is right on. It doesn't seem to me that it'd be very difficult to rig a large diameter chute at the cleaning stations that would put the offal directly under the water so the birds couldn't get a shot at it. That would go a looooong way toward fixing the problem of so many birds hanging around.

I was kind of disappointed yesterday to see one of the regulars who should know better throwing leftover LYs down on the deck for the pelicans. We sure don't need to make the problem worse for ourselves! (I did kick them overboard.)

An offal chute, or several of them, sounds reasonable, so that may make it near impossible. lol. Would the offal chutes be a help to the general fishing, or be more like a shark chum line?

No more so than throwing the carcasses over the rail is now. Maybe a bit more since the birds wouldn't get first shot at it.