NOTE: ANY PHOTOS IN THIS SLIDESHOW

WITH PHOTO CREDITS BY ADF&G (ALASKA

FISH AND GAME) OR NMFS (NATIONAL

MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE MUST HAVE

THE PERMIT NUMBER LISTED. THIS IS

REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW UNDER OUR

PERMITS. THANK YOU.

ADFG research was funded through NOAA cooperative

agreement funds NA17FX1079 and NA04NMF4390170 and all

research was conducted under NMFS permit # 358-1564 and

ADFG ACUC Assurance #03-0002.

Sea Gypsy Research

Lose the Loop: Reducing Marine Mammal Entanglements

in Marine Debris

Kim Raum-Suryan

Photo: ADFG

OVERVIEW

1. The ISSUE: Entanglement in marine debris

2. The Impact of Entanglements

3. What WE are doing to reduce entanglements…

4. How YOU can help!

Photo: ADFG

Where does marine debris come from?

Land-based

• 49% of debris on

U.S. beaches is

from land-based

sources*

*National Marine Debris

monitoring Program

Ocean-based

• Gear lost at sea,

lost overboard, or

deliberately

dumped at sea

OBJECTIVES

• Determine sources of marine debris entangling or

ingested by pinnipeds

• Find solutions to reduce entanglements and ingestion

• Find new methods to safely disentangle pinnipeds

Photo: ADFGPhoto: NMFS

Steller sea lions

Photo: ADFG

Alaska/British Columbia study area

SOUTHEAST ALASKA

CANADA

est = year new rookery established

Biali Rocks est 2001

White Sisters ( W ): est 1990

Hazy Islands

( H ): est 1979

Forrester Islands (F)

Graves Rocks ( V ): est 1998

Photo: ADFG

Photo: S. Moore

Photo: S. Moore

Photo: Raum-Suryan

Photo: Raum-Suryan

Photo: Raum-Suryan

Photo: Raum-Suryan

Two main types of “entanglements”

1. Neck Entanglements

2. Ingestion of Fishing Gear

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

N = 54

54%

30%

2%

7%

7%

Percent of identifiable (54 of 236) neck entanglement materials

Rubber band

Packing band

Net

Monofilament line

Neck Entanglements – SE Alaska/British Columbia (2000-2007)

Rope

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Yellow Rubber Band

Frisbee

Net

Neck Entanglements - Oregon

Black Rubber Band

Packing Band

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

62%

0.4 %

0.4 %1.2 %

36%

Percent of identifiable (49 of 70) neck entanglement materials

Photo: Raum-Suryan

Photo: Raum-Suryan

PLASTIC PACKING BANDS Fish Processors/Bait boxes

Shipping boxes

Toys

Lumber yards

Airline luggage/cargo

Etc., Etc., Etc.

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: Raum-SuryanPhoto: Raum-Suryan

RUBBER BANDS: (e.g. crab pots)

Photo: ADFG

Photo: Raum-Suryan

NET/ROPE (e.g. fisheries)

Photo: Oregon State Univ.Photo: NMFS

Photo: NMFS

Photo: Raum-Suryan

N = 264

10%

2% 2%6%

80%

Spinner/Spoon

Longline

Salmon Troll Gear

Ingested fishing gear – Alaska/British Columbia 2000-2007

Line/Monofilament Line

Bait Hook

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

Photo: ADFG

B CPhoto: J. Jenniges Photo: ADF&G

SALMON GEAR

A

LONGLINE GEAR

Drawings by Ashley Dean, Alaska Fish and Game, Div. of Commercial Fisheries, fv_ak1pg.pdf

Photo: ADF&G

•TIRES/MISC. DEBRIS: Garbage discarded or lost

into ocean

“Other” entanglements

Photo: ADF&G

Photo: Shallenberger

How do pinnipeds become entangled?

Photo: Shane Moore

Accidentally – when curious about an object

Photo: ADF&G

During an interaction with fisheries

Photo: ADF&G

What happens to entangled sea lions?

Photo: ADF&G Photo: ADF&G

H445 – female, born ’05

• Jul 2005 – not entangled

• Mar 2006 – band around neck

• Jul 2006 – band gone

F754 – male, born 1995

• Jul 2003 – band/line around neck

• Jul 2004 – line cutting deeply

• Not seen since Jul 2004

July 2004July 2003

Photo: ADF&G

Photo: ADF&G

Photo: ADF&G Photo: ADF&G

July 2006 – 4 yrs

July 2007 – 5 yrs

Jul 19, 2005 – 6 yrs Dead - Aug 12, 2005

=171 – male, born 1999

• Jul 2005 – flasher in mouth –

poor condition

• Aug 2005 – dead

W39– male, born 2002

• Jul 2006 – flasher in mouth

• Jul 2007 – flasher gone; hook???

Photo: ADF&G Photo: ADF&G

Photo: ADF&G Photo: ADF&G

Photo: ADF&G

Photo: ADF&G

Photo: F. Gulland

Hooks in body of California sea lion – no external sign of

entanglement

Northern fur seal neck entanglements

Photo: NMFS

Photo: NMFSPhoto: NMFS

Photo: NMFS

Northern fur seal entangling debris types

Why not just removed entanglements?

• It is often difficult or

impossible to safely capture a

wild sea lion to remove

entangling debris

• We are working on possible

disentanglement solutions, but

we need to continue to focus

on… PREVENTION!

Photo: ADF&G

Photo: ADF&G

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Photo: ADF&G

- Formation of Pinniped Entanglement Group (PEG)

Sea Gypsy Research

- Outreach signs in Alaskan ports Harbor side interpretive signs in 6 communities: Juneau, Sitka, Kodiak,

Dutch Harbor, St. Paul + Petersburg

Photo: NMFS

Photo: NMFS

Photo: NMFS

- Video (Prescott Grant)

Produced educational video & distributed > 500 copies worldwide

(now showing in several countries at aquariums, zoos, etc.)

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=marinemammalprogram.stellerentanglements

- Website: links to PSA, Video, Contact Infohttp://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=marinemammalprogram.stellerentanglements

- Designed & distributed bumper stickers

- Entanglement “ad” in 2012/13

Alaska Tide Books

- Collaborating with industry, government, NGOs

Meetings with ODCC, ODFW, OSG; Presented data at 2009 Crab Summit

ODCC will install dockside fliers

- “Lose the loop” slogan in Alaska tide calendar

WHAT

CAN

YOU DO

TO

HELP?

Photo: ADF&G

CUT loops in any plastic material that could end

up in the ocean!

“LOSE THE LOOP”

Photo: K. Raum-Suryan

Photo: K. Raum-Suryan

“GO BANDLESS”

Devise innovative solutions to reduce and

eventually eliminate plastic and rubber bands

Photo: K. Raum-Suryan

USE BAND-FREE BAIT BOXES or BAGS

FOR BAIT

USE PAPER INSTEAD OF PLASTIC

PACKING BANDS

RECYCLE MONOFILAMENT LINE

SUPPORT CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT

OF BIODEGRADABLE FISHING GEAR

“PICK 5 (or more…) EACH, HAVE A

CLEAN BEACH!”

“MARINE DEBRIS EXERCISE PLAN!”

1. Find trash 2. Bend & Lift 3. Place in bag & repeat…

“WHO CAN FIND THE MOST MARINE

DEBRIS (bottle caps, plastic bottles, loops,

etc.) IN 5 MINUTES?

GET INVOLVED

PARTICIPATE IN COASTAL CLEANUPS

Photo: R. Suryan

Photo: L. Rea

1. Reuse items whenever possible

2. Choose reusable items over disposable items

3. Bring your bags – just say no to single use bags!

4. Recycle as much as possible

1. REDUCE – 2. REUSE – 3. RECYCLE

SUPPORT CRADLE TO CRADLE MANUFACTURING

• Closed manufacturing cycle

• No waste products - products can either be reused and

returned to the cycle, or organically broken down for use

as food for the natural environment

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to the Pinniped Entanglement (PEG) group: NOAA: Kate Savage, Mike Williams, Peter

Murphy, Ericka Ammann, Lisa Rotterman, Sadie Wright, Bridget Mansfield, Aleria Jensen, Michelle

Barbari (also Marine Mammal Center); ADF&G: Lauri Jemison, Sue Goodglick; Marine Advisory

Program (UAF): Gay Sheffield; Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation: Dave Gaudet; University of

Alaska, Southeast: Heidi Pearson; Wendy Szaniszlo (marine mammal biologist, British Columbia).

ADFG research was funded through NOAA cooperative agreement funds NA17FX1079 and

NA04NMF4390170 and all research was conducted under NMFS permit # 358-1564 and ADFG ACUC

Assurance #03-0002.

Photo: ADFG

Thank

you!

Photo: ADFG