Sea Lions are tough and resilient animals. They can deal with sharp rocks and pounding waves but like many animals they have difficulties with human plastic products. Sometimes they will swallow salmon that are already hooked, or get snagged by a jigging hook, or they get entangled in strapping bands or nets. The consequences are usually disastrous.

This Steller is dealing with his entanglement but I hope he doesn’t grow too much bigger…

Education is a very important piece in preventing marine debris from getting into the ocean in the first place.It is often a difficult decision when to intervene because of the real possibility of an animal drowning when darting, and often the debris does break off on its own over time (ie many animals with scars from previous entanglements).

This is a recent snag. The animal is still healthy.

Please do what you can to ensure that plastics don’t escape into nature and that if you fish, do it far from marine mammals. The ocean is their home first.

This poor fellow has suffered for a while now.

Even a small hook can handicap a pinniped. This guy doesn’t put weight on the flipper and crawls around on his face. Likely this hook will tear out eventually.