Entanglement of Antarctic fur seals at Bird Island, South Georgia

Waluda, Claire M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3517-5233; Staniland, Iain J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2736-9134. 2013 Entanglement of Antarctic fur seals at Bird Island, South Georgia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 74 (1). 244-252. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.06.050

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Abstract/Summary

Between November 1989 and March 2013, 1033 Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella were observed entangled in marine debris at Bird Island, South Georgia. The majority of entanglements involved plastic packaging bands (43%), synthetic line (25%) or fishing net (17%). Juvenile male seals were the most commonly entangled (44%). A piecewise regression analysis showed that a single breakpoint at 1994 gave the best description of inter-annual variability in the data, with higher levels of entanglements prior to 1994 (mean = 110 ± 28) followed by persistent lower levels (mean = 28 ± 4). Records of entanglements from other sites monitored in the Scotia Sea are also presented. Legislation imposed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has, to a certain extent, been effective, but persistent low levels of seal entanglements are still a cause for concern at South Georgia.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.06.050
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Ecosystems
ISSN:	0025-326X
Additional Keywords:	Entanglement, Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazelle, marine debris, fishery, Scotia Sea
Date made live:	31 Jul 2013 16:10 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/501890

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.06.050

Programmes:

BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Ecosystems

ISSN:

0025-326X

Additional Keywords:

Entanglement, Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazelle, marine debris, fishery, Scotia Sea

Date made live:

31 Jul 2013 16:10 +0 (UTC)