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| Saving sea lions from garbage goal of study By Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist October 11, 2009 |
| Link to Ryans Flickr page on injured sea lions |
| Link to newspaper record of this article |
| A team of scientists and veterinarians is looking for ways to free entangled sea lions from plastic loops and other marine garbage. Marty Haulena, staff veterinarian at Vancouver Aquarium, has asked the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for a research permit to investigate ways of releasing sea lions, who often die lingering deaths because of plastic rings around their necks or fishing lines entangled in their mouths. "When an injury is caused directly by humans, I believe there's some obligation to really try to help the animals," Haulena said. If they get the go-ahead, co-investigators will include Jamie King of Alaska Fish and Game, who is already doing research in Alaska with the help of a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 45 specialists with expertise ranging from rehabilitation of marine mammals to animal husbandry. "We have assembled a pretty incredible team," Haulena said. "They are all people who care about animals and believe we can learn a lot from the studies." Few figures are available on entangled sea lions, but numerous animals with rings of plastic around their necks have been photographed at Race Rocks by Ryan Murphy, employed by nearby Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific. DFO's marine mammal response network is documenting reports. "I don't know if there are more [injuries] than usual, but I know we are paying more attention." said Chris Blondeau, operations director for Pearson College. The research permit application is still being considered by DFO's science branch, said Paul Cottrell, DFO acting marine mammal co-ordinator. The two biggest considerations are the safety of researchers trying to deal with an animal twice the size of a black bear and the risk of the animal jumping into the water and drowning after being tranquilized, he said. "We are looking at how to approach it because of the liability issue and the complexities around these large animals that can be very dangerous for humans," Cottrell said. Rescue attempts would have to be on a case-by-case basis, he said. Currently, attempts are sometimes made to disentangle sea lions, but usually they involve animals that are extremely lethargic and may have to be euthanized, said Cottrell, who agreed it would be good to have more tools. "Animals encumbered with this gear are a terrible sight and they suffer terribly," he said. A major part of the campaign must be educating the public not to discard plastic debris and packing bands, he said. Haulena believes there are ways to safely free sea lions, such as securing the animal with a noose before anesthetizing it, or using different types of drugs. "One of the worst-case scenarios is that an animal might die and that becomes a very philosophical discussion whether it's worth it or not. To me, some sort of attempt has to be made," he said. The project would also add to knowledge about dangerous garbage in the ocean, while blood and blubber samples collected from anesthetized animals could shed light on problems such as pollution, Haulena said. California and Steller sea lions live in local waters. Stellers are listed as of special concern under the Species at Risk Act. jlavoie use the (at sign) tc.canwest.com © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist |
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