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Sea lions at Victoria's Race Rocks injured by debris, boats Plastic loops become dangerous neck rings that dig into their flesh By Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist September 26, 2009 |
| Link to Ryans Flickr page | Link to newspaper record of this article |
| Sea lions gathering on Race Rocks are suffering horrific human-caused injuries from garbage and boats, says the eco-guardian of the marine protected area at the eastern entrance of Juan de Fuca Strait. Ryan Murphy, Race Rocks' resident marine scientist, employed by nearby Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, is forced to watch helplessly while California and Steller sea lions starve, suffocate or develop infections from rings of plastic fishing debris, because there is no safe way to remove them. As the huge animals lounge on rocks outside his home, Murphy is also seeing an increasing number of injuries he believes are caused by boat propellers. He's appealing to recreational boaters and the whale-watching industry to slow down and keep their distance. "Some of the recreational boaters come right up to the jetty at full speed, pull into the kelp bed and as soon as they get their picture, speed away again. I don't know if it's complete ignorance or what.... There was a guy here three days ago feeding the sea lions with leftover bait," he said. Murphy, 26, who spends nine months of the year on Race Rocks, keeps track of the approximately 1,500 sea lions in the area and photographs the wounds and killer neck rings, but he knows the majority of the badly wounded die at sea. "I have seen four apparent boat strikes this season and eight with wounds from entanglements with fishing gear. It's really gruesome," Murphy said. Steller sea lions are listed as a species of "special concern" under the Species at Risk Act. It's believed that during breeding season there are between 18,400 and 19,700 in B.C. waters. While it's possible the chest slashes could be caused by killer whales or sharks, there is no doubt the neck rings come from fishing paraphernalia, such as the plastic bands around bait boxes. Murphy wants "rotcords" on packing materials, so if loops of plastic are thrown into the ocean, a small strip of material will rot away. A better solution is to ensure plastic loops, ropes or loops of fishing line are never discarded in the ocean, said Lisa Spaven, Department of Fisheries and Oceans marine mammal response co-ordinator. "Unfortunately, these are very curious animals that poke their noses into things. Sometimes they take fish off active lines or gear and get entangled, or they swim through drifting pieces of debris," she said. Beach cleanups such as the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup -- happening this weekend -- help raise awareness of the danger of discarding plastic bags or other debris in the ocean, Spaven said. Some marine scientists are working on ways to rescue sea lions from neck rings, but for now, little can be done. Animals need to be restrained during the process, but it's dangerous to use tranquilizers because if the sea lion jumps into the water, it will drown. "There's a very slim chance that you can successfully disentangle an animal," said Spaven. Marine mammal watching guidelines stipulate a distance of 100 metres must be maintained. "But if you witness a change in behaviour of the animals, lifting their heads or stampeding into the water, you know you have got too close," Spaven said. Marine zoologist Anna Hall, who guides for a whale-watching company, said most whale watchers are careful to abide by the guidelines, but garbage injuries are a major problem everywhere and marine mammal viewing companies can play a vital educational role. "If you show a 12-year-old an injured sea lion with a piece of plastic around his neck, I bet that child will never throw another piece of garbage on the ground again." jlavoieuse the (at) sign tc.canwest.com © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist |
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