Cormorant Rescued from Fishing Lines in Boston

fter securing his vessel to Dredge No.54 in Boston,the operator of the Thames River, Rich Sellman, observed a Cormorant flailing about in the water adjacent to the dredge. Fearing that the bird either already was or was about to be fatally injured, he recruited GLDD Field Engineer Rebecca Popovec to facilitate a humanitarian mission to free the bird, which had become entangled in a web of fishing line. Rebecca has a degree in marine biology and has experience with sea bird rescure work.

Rich moved the Thames Riverinto position; Rebecca used a boat hook to snag the fishing line and bring the bird aboard the boat. She expertly handled the bird, placing it on deck and freeing it from the tangled web of fishing line. Once the bird was freed, Rebecca released it into its natural habitat. The actions did not go unnoticed; a crowd had formed ashore on Castle Island, where the dredge was positioned approximately 25 yards off the pier. When the bird was released,a flock of bystanders cheered and applauded the two Great Lakes employees for their effective humanitarian effort.

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Richard Adams, Publications Manager ◆ Bailey Lowry, Public Relations Assistant ◆ Richard Lowry, Editor 2122 York Road, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 ◆ 630.574.3000 fax630.574.2909 ◆ www.gldd.com Committed to creating an incident and injury free (IIF)work environment