- Video shows how plastic bands and nets cut deep into the bodies of sea lions and seals
- Gruesome picture shows dead sea lion trapped in a windsock
- Authorities in Alaska now keen to work with the fishing industry to prevent more injuries
By
Anthony Bond
Last updated at 1:29 PM on 14th February 2012
The devastating effects of debris on sea lions and seals has been highlighted in a video by fishing authorities in Alaska.
Horrific images show the marine animals with their necks tightly bound and cut with bands and fishing nets and others with fishing lures hanging from their mouths.
In one of the more gruesome images a dead sea lion can be seen pinned by her flippers in a windsock, which led to her drowning.
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Horrific: The effects of debris on sea lions and seals has been highlighted in a new video by fishing authorities. In this image a dead sea lion can be seen pinned by her flippers in a windsock, which led to her drowning
Painful: A plastic band is wrapped tightly around the neck of this seal. Many seals and sea lions are often strangled as their bodies grow and tighten around the debris
It is thought that many of the animals become trapped in plastic bands when they are young.
But as they get older and grow, the bands slowly cut into their bodies, which can lead to strangulation.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released the video to highlight the effects of fishing gear and other debris on the animals.
It follows the Daily Mail’s long-running Banish the Bags campaign which aims to eradicate the UK’s careless plastic bag culture, which has led to the deaths of whales off Britain’s coastline.
Authorities in Alaska – who say they are underestimating the numbers of animals injured – are now looking to work more closely with the fishing industry to prevent sea lions and seals becoming trapped in debris.
A study of eastern Steller sea lions, which are threatened by extinction, was carried out between 2000 and 2007 along the coast of Alaska and northern British Columbia.
Upsetting: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released the video to highlight the effects of fishing gear and other debris on marine animals. Here, a fishing lure can be seen trapped on a sea lion
Work to be done: This sea lion has a large red fishing lure trapped in her mouth. Scientists believe they are under-estimating the number of animals which are affected by the problem
It revealed that 386 animals had picked up debris.
Plastic
packing bands – used to secure boxes – and rubber bands were found to
be the most common items which ended up around the necks of the animals.
Metal flasher lures, which are used when fishing for salmon, were the most frequent fishing gear ingested.
Lauri Jemison, a wildlife biologist in the Steller Sea Lion program of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, who took part in the study, told LiveScience:
Gruesome: This picture shows how a band trapped around a sea lions neck has caused horrific injuries
Sore: A band is wrapped around the body of this seal. It is believed bands become trapped around the bodies of the animals when they are young
‘We are certainly underestimating the number of animals entangled.
‘We
go out every summer here in southeastern Alaska and we try to visit
every haul out (where animals come to shore) and rookery (where they
breed) at least once.’
Researchers say they could have missed counting some of the animals which didn’t come to shore or were not visible in a crowd of sea lions.
The horrific effects of sea debris also affect other marine wildlife, including sea birds and turtles.
As well as the Steller sea lions, northern fur seals also become regularly entangled.
Worrying: A dead seal with a fishing lure trapped in its face. Researchers say sea birds and turtles are also getting injured because of sea debris
Way forward: Authorities in Alaska are now looking to work with the fishing industry to see how they can lessen the number of injuries and deaths to sea animals through debris
Although the researchers found that they don’t swallow as much fishing gear as the Steller sea lion, they do get bands trapped around their necks.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is now looking for funding to work with the fishing industry to help prevent the sea lions and seals from becoming trapped in fishing equipment.
People are also being encouraged to cut loops which are thrown into rubbish bins.
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Awww, they look cute! It looks like they are wearing funky jewelery! How do we know that they didn’t see the rubbish and all argue over which one gets to wear it? Maybe we should donate some more rubbish to these animals instead of wasting our money on recycling. It’s a win win ?
situation.
– Joey, Essex, 14/2/2012 16:41
Oh joey .. Did your mother have to stop you eating plastercine as a child
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These people should be hung what is has this world come to.
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Awww, they look cute! It looks like they are wearing funky jewelery! How do we know that they didn’t see the rubbish and all argue over which one gets to wear it? Maybe we should donate some more rubbish to these animals instead of wasting our money on recycling. It’s a win win situation.
– Joey, Essex, 14/2/2012 16:41
I hope this is sarcasm? Either way you’re an idiot!
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‘Awww, they look cute! It looks like they are wearing funky jewelery!’ – Joey, Essex, 14/2/2012 16:41 …. I hope you mean this to be some sorta wierd disgusting joke…. or you are indeed a pathetic uneducated disgusting human. Id love to tie a tight piece of plastic around your neck!
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The fishing industry isn’t bothered about injuries to seals and sea lions – they are competition for fish and so a threat to profit. These photographs are shameful and distressing.
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Forget all the Global Warming Climate change taxation bull. The Politicians don’t care one bit about the environment. It’s just an excuse to tax you.
When it comes to a real environmental problem, they are no where to be seen.
I think that a collapse of the marine eco system form plastic pollution in the sea will have far greater implications for life on earth than a tiny percentage increase in carbon.
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“Instead of stopping to take a picture of the seal, why not free it.- Jenna, Southampton,”
Rather you than me – seals can be extremely vicious when protecting their young. Also, publicising that this goes on and we need to change our habits will save far more seals than just dealing with them one at a time.
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Awww, they look cute! It looks like they are wearing funky jewelery! How do we know that they didn’t see the rubbish and all argue over which one gets to wear it? Maybe we should donate some more rubbish to these animals instead of wasting our money on recycling. It’s a win win situation.
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Makes me think about what’s going to happen when the debris from Japan’s disaster starts hitting our coastline.
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My god i didnt think it was that bad. Something should be done about this quick! – Singh, England, 14/2/2012 12:44======================================= So what are you going to do?
– tbj_wales, wales, 14/2/2012 13:17
Keep marine mammals away from itinerant windsocks!
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