Wildlife Officers Travel Seven Miles by Boat to Free Entangled Bald Eagle on Haw River

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officers boated more than seven miles down the Haw River on March 27 to reach a female bald eagle entangled in fishing line near the B. Everett Jordan Dam. By the time officers arrived, the bird was exhausted from the struggle.

Officers freed the eagle and transferred her to American Wildlife Refuge, a local nonprofit wildlife rehabilitator, for evaluation and care. The commission said she was recovering well and could be released back into the wild within one to two weeks.

The stretch of river near the dam is frequented by anglers year-round and carries regular bald eagle activity. The commission warned that many entanglement cases do not end this way, and officials described a single piece of abandoned fishing line as a potential death sentence for local wildlife.

The commission's message to every angler on the Haw is direct: pack out all monofilament, hooks, and tackle when you leave the water. Never leave line draped over branches or at the shoreline. Use designated line-disposal stations where they exist along the river corridor. If you spot a distressed or entangled bird, do not attempt to handle it yourself. Call the NC Wildlife Resources Commission's wildlife hotline, provide your exact location, keep people and dogs clear of the animal, and wait for trained officers to respond.

Bald eagles are federally protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act even though they were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007. The Haw River serves as both a feeding habitat and a travel corridor for raptors moving between upstream Piedmont reaches and Jordan Lake. The Haw River Assembly runs regular gear-removal cleanups along the corridor, and what happened on March 27 is a precise illustration of what abandoned tackle does to the wildlife sharing that same water.