A Canada goose found ensnarled in fishing line at Hermitage Lake in northeast Edmonton is prompting a warning to anglers to properly dispose their fishing line and other plastic trash.

Staff at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton spent hours trying to capture the goose with line wrapped tightly around its leg.

Once staff captured the bird, they discovered the line had cut its way to the bone.

The bird suffered major trauma, losing part of its hallux, or toe, and part of its webbing, said executive director Debra Jakubec, who is not sure the goose will survive.

Hermitage Lake, a well-known fishing spot in Edmonton, has many garbage bins, yet there are coils of discarded fishing line laying near the lake, the society says.

Monofilament fishing line is strong and durable, and doesn't degrade or decompose easily, the society says. Wildlife that becomes entangled can be injured, or have their movement restricted so they drown or starve.