Wildlife rescue team responds after perplexing discovery on beach: 'Is this the state of our seas?'
A seal was found in extreme distress on a U.K. beach recently, according to Need to Know.
"Is this the state of our seas?" said a spokesperson for British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
What's happening?
In early February, a seal was found on the coast tangled in netting, as shown on the organization's Facebook page.
Photo credit: Facebook
Photo credit: Facebook
A member of the public called British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who arrived to find a metal stake keeping the young seal in place. Staff presumed that someone put it in place to prevent the seal from going back into the sea without being disentangled. Unfortunately, the seal continued to struggle, and the stake only dug the netting further into the trapped animal, according to Need to Know.
Why are entangled animals important?
This sad situation is the result of ghost netting. Fishers often lose their nets at sea. These can drift for a long time since they're made of durable plastic. Ocean life can then get caught in that netting, leaving permanent scars and even causing death from the struggle. Studies suggest that there are between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tons of ghost fishing gear abandoned in the ocean.
In addition to entanglement, ghost nets also pose ecosystem threats by way of microplastics, adding pollution to the water as they degrade over time that works its way into animals. If those happen to be species we eat, the plastics they ingest find their way back into humans.
Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?
What's being done about ghost gear?
"Thankfully our medics attended and removed the netting, and the pup is now in the care of RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre where she has the best chance of a full recovery," said British Divers Marine Life Rescue. An update a few weeks later showed the seal, now dubbed "Honey Badger," recovering well.
Volunteer groups elsewhere in the world are working hard to eliminate ghost netting. Even the NBA is getting involved in tackling the problem. At a larger scale, the U.S. is stopping the import of seafood caught without bycatch standards in place.
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Stronger industry standards and enforcements will have the greatest impact on reducing ghost netting. Consumers can vote with their wallets by opting for vegetarian meal options instead of supporting the fishing industry.
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Wildlife rescue team responds after perplexing discovery on beach: 'Is this the state of our seas?' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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