Rescue set for sea lion entangled in plastic

Members of British Columbia’s marine mammal network are mobilizing to help a sea lion with a plastic packing band wrapped tightly around its neck.

The animal was spotted last week in the Cowichan Bay area, where hundreds of sea lions have gathered to feed on spawning salmon.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada marine mammal co-ordinator Paul Cottrell said the team was notified several days ago and monitored the sea lion to ensure it will stay in the area.

A veterinarian with the Vancouver Aquarium will work with fisheries officials to tranquilize the animal and cut off the band, possibly within the next week.

Cottrell said action is required because the band will not deteriorate and can become deeply embedded in the mammal’s neck, causing further injuries, infection and possibly death.

The team will also travel to the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve off Esquimalt, where there have been other reports of sea lions with similar bands around their necks, he said.

“It takes quite an effort to get all these experts and teams together to go out and do this,” Cottrell said.

He said they receive a lot of reports about entangled sea life every year, adding that they’re grateful for the Vancouver Aquarium’s assistance in helping the animals.

The Vancouver Aquarium said its head veterinarian, Dr. Martin Haulena, is currently the only person in Canada able to dart and disentangle the animals, using specialized equipment and support from trained personnel.

The aquarium is urging the public to stay away from the animals and not attempt to remove the bands themselves.

“These are complicated rescues; to do it safely and successfully the sea lion must be temporarily immobilized before we can remove the gear,” says a statement from the aquarium.