Entanglement of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in man-made marine debris on Tyuleniy Island, Sea of Okhotsk

Alexey E Kuzin; Alexey M Trukhin

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113521

Entanglement of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in man-made marine debris on Tyuleniy Island, Sea of Okhotsk

Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Apr:177:113521. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113521. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

Authors

Alexey E Kuzin¹, Alexey M Trukhin²

Affiliations

¹ All-Russian Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), Pacific branch, 4 Shevchenko Str., 690090 Vladivostok, Russia.
² V.I. Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute (POI), Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Science, 41 Baltiyskaya Str., 690043 Vladivostok, Russia. Electronic address: Marian1312@mail.ru.

PMID: 35259568
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113521

Abstract

The present report provides data on entanglement of Steller sea lions (SSL) in marine debris on Tyuleniy Island, Sea of Okhotsk. The frequency of entanglement depending on the material, sex, and age of animals was estimated. A total of 133 SSL were recorded as having debris on their bodies, or an average of 22.2 individuals per year. The relative rate of entanglement over the observation years ranged from 1.48 to 1.97% of their total number. The entangled individuals were both males and females of all ages, but young males constituted the largest proportion among them (5.2%). The entangled SSL most frequently (43.2%) had neck collars (the material is not defined) and, less frequently, packaging bands (23.4%), nets (17.7%), and other debris. Most of marine litter found on SSL is associated with commercial fishing activities. On Tyuleniy Island, the rate of SSL entanglement is higher than in the eastern part of the species' range.

Keywords: Entanglement; Marine debris; Pollution; Sea of Okhotsk; Steller sea lion; Tyuleniy Island.

MeSH terms

Animals
Female
Humans
Male
Sea Lions*