Photos of seal caught in fishing debris show dangers of ocean waste, say conservationists

‘Litter such as fishing nets and tackle does not simply go away and can pose a threat for decades’

A female Atlantic grey seal with her pup at a remote breeding ground in Pembrokeshire. The National Trust is warning of the dangers of ocean waste after the seal was spotted with fishing debris caught around its neck. (PA)

Photographs of an Atlantic grey seal at a breeding site with fishing debris stuck around her neck have prompted warnings have conservationists of the dangers of ocean waste.

A piece of fishing net or line can be seen tightly wound around the neck of a female seal in the photographs taken by the PA news agency, on a remote beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The seal is seen with her young pup in the images. The Pembrokeshire coastline is an important breeding area for Atlantic grey seals in the autumn months, and hosts the largest breeding population in southwest Britain.

The Atlantic grey seal is a protected sea mammal and one of the rarest species of seal in the world, with an estimated 300,000 left in the world. Half of the population lives in British and Irish waters.

Mark Underhill, countryside manager for the National Trust, said: “Every day vast quantities of waste being dumped into the sea and our wildlife is paying the price.

“Litter such as fishing nets and tackle does not simply go away and can pose a threat for decades, ensnaring all types of ocean life, as seen here off the West Wales coast.”

Mr Underhill said it has been three years since the popular Blue Planet II documentary was released and the “groundswell” of public support for cleaning the oceans and rivers that followed.

“We have made good progress on coastal litter, but sea pollution remains a huge problem that we as a society must address if we are to protect our most beautiful places and diverse wildlife.”

Natural Resources Wales monitors the blubbery animals in the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation.

Kate Lock, marine environmental assessment officer, said that high numbers of “netting entanglement” recorded each year are a growing concern.

“In 2019, just in the area around Skomer Island, 28 individual seals were photographed with obvious signs that they were entangled at some point in their lives,” she said.

Last year, 70 conservation charities including the National Trust released the State of Nature report, which highlighted the challenges faces by sea life in the UK.

Between the end of August and December in Pembrokeshire, seals return to the beaches to give birth to their pups, with September and early October being the busiest time for new arrivals (PA)

These include declining fish stocks, loss of habitat and warming seas.

The National Trust says that incidents of entanglement and ingestion of plastics by marine animals are now widely reported.

The trust discovered an uninhabited island in its care last year that had been littered with elastic bands. Seagulls were eating them, mistaking the elastic bands for worms.

A spokesperson said removing rubbish and debris from the coast was diverting rangers’ time from vital conservation work.

She called on businesses and producers to consider how they dispose of materials that could cause harm to wildlife.