The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a conservation success story in the UK — populations recovering from near-extinction in the 19th century to over 8,000 pairs today. But new threats including illegal gill net use and entanglement in angling equipment continue to cause preventable deaths.
Great crested grebes entangled in gill nets or submerged angling lines drown — a stressful, prolonged death for a diving bird. Their habit of sitting low in the water makes them particularly prone to collision with fast boats. Chicks separated from parents by disturbance or boat wash are vulnerable to hypothermia, as they depend on parental heat for thermoregulation. Cold winters with frozen lakes and rivers concentrate grebes on available open water, increasing competition and stress. RSPB and the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme investigate and record grebe mortality from fishing gear entanglement.