By: Lynne Barre, Guest blogger
I work on marine mammal conservation with NOAA Fisheries in the Pacific Northwest and have seen firsthand how marine debris can affect marine life.
As part of the stranding Northwest Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network, I help respond to beached, distressed and entangled animals. Part of my job also entails responding to deceased marine mammals, sometimes found wrapped in fishing nets. Our team conducts thorough investigations to identify what human activities are impacting various populations. One human impact is marine debris.
We have seen a number of animals entangled in fishing gear and discovered a few who have ingested marine debris. In some instances, we can quickly release animals from fishing gear entanglement; however, some animals are brought to a rehabilitation facility to recover from their injuries before being released back into the wild. We investigate every case to identify what marine debris the animals are interacting with and ingesting to help inform prevention and stewardship activities.
Stranding network members investigate the death of gray whale in WA in 2010.
Photo by: Jessie Huggins, Cascadia Research Collective
In 2010 several local stranding groups responded to a 39-foot dead gray whale in West Seattle, WA. During the necropsy, we discovered a variety of foreign materials in the whale’s stomach. Duct tape, plastic bags, rope, fishing line, towels, sweatpants, and even a golf ball made up the several pounds of marine debris the whale had ingested. The local community connected with the story of this whale that was feeding in Puget Sound and then stranded on a local beach with a stomach full of garbage. This gray whale became the inspiration for an outreach exhibit and activities to educate the public about how marine debris can harm marine mammals.
Marine debris found in the stomach of stranded gray whale.
Photo by: Jessie Huggins, Cascadia Research Collective
NOAA Fisheries and our partners spread the word about what every person can do to keep trash out of our waters, such as bringing your own bag to the grocery store or participating in local beach cleanups. Every little bit counts, and will help keep trash from entering our oceans and protecting our marine wildlife. For more information about the Northwest Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network, check us out online at: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Stranding-Information.cfm.
August 8, 2012 at 6:36 am
This is horrendous . . . it’s a sad story with an inspiring end. I wonder what changes the community has made since this incident and what the outcome has been.
I have photographs of a dead pelican with fishing line down it’s gullet. When I pulled it out there was a three pronged fishing hook the size of my hand. Mostly what I see as far as fatalities are fishing related. How can we appeal to the fishing industry to lessen the impact on marine life?
Thanks so much for this information.
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November 23, 2012 at 5:36 pm
California W.E.T. (Whale Entanglement Team) is just a group of marine mammal professionals and volunteers under the direction of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources and under the authority of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. W.E.T. is tasked with giving an answer to whales entangled in fishing gear and marine debris. The gunners themselves admit that if whales could shout the industry would stop, for no body would have the ability to stand it. — Doctor.
December 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm
I met artists, Richard and Judith Lang at a recent event help at The Marine Mammal Center i Sausalito, CA. Richard and Judith created a behemoth net monster from 450 lbs. of ‘ghost net’ removed from a dead sperm whale. You can find their story here ~ http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/Get-Involved/events/ghost-below.html#.UL5G1oWmDtU For more stories on beach trash Richard James, ‘The Coastodian’ http://coastodian.org/ writes and beautifully photographs images about his experiences along the Point Reyes National Seashore.
Thanks so much for all you do . . .
December 15, 2012 at 5:15 pm
California W.E.T. (Whale Entanglement Team) is just a group of marine mammal professionals and volunteers under the direction of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources and under the authority of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. W.E.T. is tasked with giving an answer to whales entangled in fishing gear and marine debris. The gunners themselves admit that if whales could shout the industry would stop, for no body would have the ability to stand it. — Doctor.