(The Post News)- The pollution of plastic is becoming one of the biggest threats to the South African Cape fur seals, this has prompted dedicated marine teams to take desperate measures to protect these animals. A specialised team from the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Marine Wildlife Management Programme (MWMP) in Cape Town, has been recognised for their efforts to disentangle seals ensnared by plastic debris.
The Cape fur seals were once frequently hunted animals, but are currently a protected species, having an estimated population of around two million along the Southern African coastline. Apart from them having a protected status, they face a number of challenges such as the impacts of climate change, human-wildlife conflict, and disease outbreaks like rabies. Plastic pollution, more specifically debris from commercial fishing, is one of the most immediate and tangible threats.
Martine Viljoen of the MWMP says they help balance everything out from being a prey source to being a predator themselves, she explains how they indicate how the health of the ocean is doing and they give valuable insight into the bigger picture of their ocean health.
The MWMP team built a dedicated seal platform in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront Harbour has designed specifically for aiding the rescue of the seals entangled in plastic. Key member of the MWMP team, Brett Glasby says they have around 100 seals a year that come into the waterfront with plastic entanglement around their necks, he continues stating if they come and rest on their platform with the wide slats, they get to climb into wetsuits, swim below them, and disentangle them.
The process of disentanglement is highly specialised as teams of snorkellers use custom-made tools to carefully cut seals free from entangling plastic, such as fishing lines and plastic bags.
The urgency of this work is underscored by the increasing number of seals being rescued annually. In the previous year, the MWMP team has successfully disentangled 124 seals at the V&A Waterfront, which the numbers are continuing to rise.
Viljoen has highlighted the crucial need for the intervention of humans. She says seals need help, as humans have put them in situations that they cannot get out of themselves, therefore humans have to step in and help.
The efforts of the MWMP are not to save the individual seals only, they also provide crucial insights into the broader health of marine ecosystems. With plastic pollution continuing to be a challenge marine life, the efforts of the marine teams remain vital in safeguarding the future of South Africa’s fur seals.
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