Marine Mammal Entanglement
Pinniped Entanglement in Marine Debris
St. Paul Island northern fur seal entangled in a packing strap.
The Marine Debris Threat
Marine debris adversly impacts at least 260 marine species, including marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds. Marine debris is any man-made object discarded, disposed of, or abandoned that enters the marine environment.
Every year many seals and sea lions in Alaska unnecessarily suffer or die from ingesting fishing gear or getting caught in marine debris.
Please let us know if you see injured, entangled or dead marine mammals in the water or on the beach.
Types of Marine Debris
 Material looped around a marine mammal’s neck often becomes too deeply embedded to indentify like in this photo of an entangled Steller sea lion. |
 Steller sea lion with neck wounds from a black rubber band. |
LOOPED MATERIAL: Some of the deadliest marine debris is likely to wrap around the neck of the sea lion or seal. The materials that most commonly cause neck entanglements are:
Deceased Steller sea lion entangled in a net.HOW YOU CAN HELP!
- Loose the loop! CUT ANY LOOP that may become marine debris
- Go bandless. Eliminate the use of packing bands
- Keep marine debris (especially loops and lines) out of the ocean and off the beaches
- Support the development of biodegradable fishing gear
- Support recycling of monofilament line
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Packing bands cause more than 50% of neck entanglements of Steller sea lions in Alaska. |
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Large black rubber bands are often used on sport and commercial crab pots |
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Rope/line |
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Nets |
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Monofilament line |
SWALLOWED MATERIAL: Swallowed material includes hooks, lures and line. These can be “silent killers”, causing unseen injury and death from within. Ingested fishing gear is usually:
- Salmon fishery hooks and flashers (lures)
- Longline gear
- Spinners/spoons
- Bait hooks
 Steller sea lion entangled with flasher and hook. |
 Steller sea lion jaw bone with decay from an embedded hook. Photo: Rod Palm |
 A Radiograph showing swallowed hooks. Photo: F. Gulland, Marine Mammal Center |
How to Report Entangled Marine Mammals
Please let us know if you see injured, entangled or dead marine mammals in the water or on the beach. The most important information to collect is the date, location of animal (including latitude and longitude), number of animals, and species. Please don't move or touch the animal.
Stranding Report Phone Numbers(for the general public)
Entangled ringed seal. Photo: ADF&G.- NMFS statewide 24-hour Stranding Hotline: (877) 925-7773 or (877) 9-AKR-PRD
- Protected Resources Office:
- Juneau: (907) 586-7235
- Anchorage: (907) 271-5006
- Alaska SeaLife Center Stranding Hotline: (888) 774-7325
Online Stranding Report Form
(for the general public)
Project Coordinators
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The Alaska Pinniped Entanglement Group is a collaborative effort between the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, and NOAA Fisheries. |
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← Protected Resources | Whale Entanglement | Marine Mammal Stranding Network
