Horrific images show how ocean debris is maiming and killing seals and sea lions

-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


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

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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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

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.


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

Gruesome: This picture shows how a band trapped around a sea lions neck has caused horrific injuries

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:


Painful: A band is wrapped around the body of this seal. It is believed the bands become trapped around the bodies of the young animals which tighten as they grow, possible strangling them

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

'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.


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.





source:dailymail