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A team from the Vancouver Aquarium and Fisheries and Oceans Canada rescued two sea lions with entanglements Wednesday in the Fanny Bay area.
“We count one sea lion rescue a day as a success, but to disentangle two in one day is really rewarding,” said Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre head veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena, who is the only professionally trained veterinarian in Canada able to perform these challenging rescues.
Over the past two decades, Dr. Haulena has helped develop a precise drug combination to temporarily sedate a sea lion so it may be carefully handled. The procedure to remove the entangled gear often takes place in the water, from a boat, with a floating animal. “These rescue efforts involving sea lions are extremely challenging and can be very dangerous,” said Dr. Haulena. Rescue efforts depend upon ideal weather and ocean conditions, require specialized equipment, a team of expert staff, including Vancouver Aquarium associate researcher Wendy Szaniszlo, and invaluable assistance and boat support from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Although the team did not see the California sea lion reported briefly in the area last week with a severe neck entanglement, they did spot three additional animals – Steller sea lions, which are a species of special concern – ensnared in debris on nearby Norris Rocks. With daylight running out, they attempted one more disentanglement. Unfortunately, the sea lion they darted did not get sedated enough to approach and swam away.
“With six entangled animals sighted in such a small area within a week, it’s clear there is a serious problem on B.C.’s coast,” said Dr. Haulena. “We estimate there are as many as 400 sea lions snared in trash all along our coastline right now. This is a human-caused problem, and we’d like to save all of them, but these rescues require an enormous amount of resources and funding.” The cost for the Vancouver Aquarium team and gear is approximately $2,000 per rescue. That does not include the staff, boats and fuel provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Dr. Haulena. “People need to be more careful with their trash and debris. ‘Lose the loop’ when you’re throwing away packing straps, ropes, wire, and plastic.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
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