A Review of the Welfare Impact on Pinnipeds of Plastic Marine Debris

Abstract

Uncounted, and usually unobserved, numbers of pinnipeds find themselves entangled in lost fishing gear, monofilament line, nets, rope, plastic packaging in the ocean or on the shoreline. These animals may carry debris wrapped around themselves for long periods, and often die as a result, sometimes from deep chronic wounds. The pinniped species most affected by this modern and manmade phenomenon are fur seals, monk seals, and California sea lions, and to a lesser extent gray, common, and monk seals. Entanglement rates described range up to 7.9% of local populations annually, and the common entangling materials; packing bands, fragments of lost net, rope, monofilament line, fishery flashers and lures, long-line fishing gear, hooks and line, and bait hooks are discussed. Awareness of this issue is increasing, and local action is reported to have made measurable differences in entanglement rates, however, plastic material in the ocean is likely to be long lived, and will leave many entangled pinnipeds unreported and result in a hidden and potentially significant effect on wild animal welfare.

Knowledge and practice of recycled plastic bottles (RPB) built homes for sustainable community-based housing projects in Nigeria

“…An inference that can be made from Table 3 above is that a greater proportion of the plastic waste generated in Africa is inadequately managed. This scenario perhaps is the reason why Africa is ranked second to South East Asia in terms of plastic waste pollution in the world (Bafana, 2018;Butterworth, 2016). The information in Table 3 also supports the report that the available recycling and waste management facilities in African counties do not have enough capacity to deal with the volume of plastic waste production in Africa (Adbulkarim & Abiodun, 2012;Eneh, 2015;Nwachukwu et al, 2013;Sojobi et al, 2016).…”

People - Marine Mammal Interactions

“…In several instances, fishermen reportedly became irritated at dolphins trying to take bait and catch from fishing lines or trawl nets and shot or threw pipe bombs at the dolphins to keep them away from their gear and/or catch (DOJ, 2006(DOJ, , 2007(DOJ, , 2013NOAA, 2009). Provisioning dolphins conditions them to approaching humans and boats for food where they may then attempt to aggressively prey on hooked bait and catches, creating conflicts with fishermen (Zollett and Read, 2006;Read, 2008). Depredation of both commercial and recreational fisheries is a growing problem globally (Noke and Odell, 2002;Brotons et al, 2008;Powell and Wells, 2011).…”

“…Depredation of both commercial and recreational fisheries is a growing problem globally (Noke and Odell, 2002;Brotons et al, 2008;Powell and Wells, 2011). In addition, activities that bring dolphins into close proximity with fishing gear have the potential to seriously injure or kill the animals through ingestion, entanglement, or even vessel strikes (Zollett and Read, 2006;Read, 2008;Wells et al, 2008;Barco et al, 2010;Powell and Wells, 2011;Stolen et al, 2013). As more people locate to coastal areas and participate in recreational activities, the chances for close encounters increase, making local populations susceptible to disturbance, harassment, or direct attack (Samuels and Bejder, 2004;Mattson et al, 2005;Cunningham-Smith et al, 2006;Zollett and Read, 2006).…”

“…In addition, activities that bring dolphins into close proximity with fishing gear have the potential to seriously injure or kill the animals through ingestion, entanglement, or even vessel strikes (Zollett and Read, 2006;Read, 2008;Wells et al, 2008;Barco et al, 2010;Powell and Wells, 2011;Stolen et al, 2013). As more people locate to coastal areas and participate in recreational activities, the chances for close encounters increase, making local populations susceptible to disturbance, harassment, or direct attack (Samuels and Bejder, 2004;Mattson et al, 2005;Cunningham-Smith et al, 2006;Zollett and Read, 2006). As a result, it is possible to suggest that a byproduct of dolphin conditioning to human interaction in the region, including activities to swim with or feed these animals, is resulting in closer proximity and access to wild dolphins, exposing them to directed harm and violence (Waring et al, 2015;NOAA, 2016).…”

REGISTRO PRELIMINAR DE MICROPLÁSTICOS EN FECAS DEL LEÓN MARINO SUDAMERICANO (Otaria byronia [de Blainville 1820]) RECOLECTADAS EN PUNTA SAN JUAN, PERÚ

“…La mayor parte de los estudios que relacionan la interacción de mamíferos marinos con residuos marinos presentan descripciones completas tanto del origen del material (Denuncio et al 2011, de Stephanis et al 2013, Besseling et al 2015, Lusher et al 2018) como de las potenciales vías de incorporación de estos materiales al océano y a los organismos, ya sea a través de aguas residuales, la escorrentía de ciudades (Moore 2008, Cesa et al 2017) o la transferencia trófica (Eriksson y Burton 2003, Nelms et al 2018. Sin embargo, son pocos los estudios del impacto del plástico en pinnípedos (Butterworth 2016, Nelms et al 2019) en vida libre.…”