Marine Debris Starts with You and Me?

Abagnale Entangled in Fishing Wire
Credit Marie DeStefanis

The muse for my second article in CoastViews Magazine is none other than a California Sea Lion by the name of Abagnale. He was spotted by tourists on January 1 at Pier 39. It took the Marine Mammal Center Rescue Team three weeks and twenty rescue attempts to catch this animal, which is why they named him after the infamous Frank Abagnale, Jr., a 1960's con artist who always seemed to be two steps ahead of the authorities. Abagnale was entangled in monofilament nylon fishing line, which was wrapped not only around his neck, but around his muzzle. He couldn't even open his mouth to eat.

Abagnale's story has a happy ending. The Marine Mammal Center finally caught up with him at Moss Landing, about 15 miles north of Monterey. His rescue was intense, with crew both in the water and on land, but their efforts finally paid off. Using darts with a mild sedative, the team rescued Abagnale on January 24th and took him to the Center, where he stayed for about 13 days, while he received top-notch medical care for his wounds and snarfed 100 pounds of herring. He was released on February 4th and has since been spotted at Moss Landing, looking good.

450 lbs of fishing net found inside a dead Sperm Whale at
Tomales Bay, CA 2008 / Credit The Marine Mammal Center

Years ago, I read about birds getting entangled in six-pack rings, and I couldn't bear the idea that our trash was impacting wildlife. But in fact, the six-pack rings are just the tip of the iceberg. Fishing line, fishing net, plastic bags and all types of cellophane and plastic are a growing problem for marine mammals and birds, who frequently mistake plastic for food and feed it to their young.

We have so much to think about. How do we recycle properly? How much of the plastic we recycle actually gets recycled? What happens to the rest of it? What do those numbers inside the triangle on plastic "recyclables" actually mean? How does our garbage end up in the ocean? What about the trash that washes up on our beaches? How does this relate to the giant Pacific Garbage Patch? How does this affect marine life? And what is being done to stop more trash from flowing into the ocean? Which organizations are watching out for wildlife and making a difference? More on this topic later. Must sleep.