I remember a comic strip in which the Red Knight on a tower in the sea was trying to survive by holding a rope with a hook and bait to swing to catch latching on gulls around. Who knows, succeed, given their 'bite likeness'. For the edibility of seagulls, I refer to the relevant article.
I also read a story of an American who knew his grandfather catched birds with fishing lines (and bait) hung between trees.

Every year animal shelters receive birds that swallowed left unattended or broken lines with hook and bait. Especially ducks, cormorants and swans are victim. Friendly it is definitely not.

In Southeast Asia cormorants are trained to fish. They get a pretty loose ring around the neck so they can only swallow very small fish.
(Also otters were trained to fish. See <Otter>)

Whoever undertakes something and fails,

is still better than one that does nothing and succeeds.