Two sisters are picking up bags of trash following the deaths of two Pelicans north of Lockport.

Sisters Cindy Kovach and Shary Cormier can't stand seeing so many hooks, metal jigs, and various types of twine littering the riverbank.

So passionate about pelicans, the thought of trash tangling and hurting one of these birds brings Kovach to tears.

"No one seems to care about them,” said an emotional Kovach.

Last week, two pelicans found wrapped in hay bail twine were rescued north of Lockport.

One died the next morning. The second died days later.

The sisters say at least three other pelicans also died over the winter.

"Right by the waterway, their feet get snagged to it and there are so many big hooks, they are huge, and if they get stuck and they can't pull them out with their beaks," said Kovach.

For the past three years, Kovach and Cormier have been picking up trash to help protect the pelicans.

They say the problem is getting worse.

"The animals suffer because of us animals, us people. We're the worst of nature," said Cormier.

"This year, the province set up a new special conservation area by the Lockport dam to protect pelicans."

The zone is on the east side of Red River, jutting out to the first freestanding bridge peer.

From April 1 to November 15 fishing inside the zone is prohibited.

According to the province, consultations with 265 people found 50 per cent want the special conservation area made even larger; 38 per cent think it should be smaller; 12 per cent were undecided.

Kovach says the new zone is a step in the right direction, but needs to be expanded.

"I believe this whole area up to the floodway to the locks should be locked off. These fisherman, I'm a fishing person myself. There are many places on the river, the lake you can go to, but people just aren't,” said Kovach

Fines for littering are $190. The sisters would like to see that increased to as much as $500, even though the new zone is in places with no signage.

The province can't say when any signs will go up.

Instead of conservation the new ministry in the Pallister government dealing with the environment is now called sustainable development.

CTV reached out to the new minister, Cathy Cox. She was unavailable for comment.