Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020
In recent decades, the amount of marine debris has increased in our oceans. As wildlife interactions with debris increase, so does the number of entangled animals, impairing normal behavior and potentially affecting the survival of these individuals. The current study summarizes data on two phocid s...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Oceans |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/3/3/26 |
| _version_ | 1797483924672217088 |
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| author | Anna Salazar-Casals Koen de Reus Nils Greskewitz Jarco Havermans Machteld Geut Stella Villanueva Ana Rubio-Garcia |
| author_facet | Anna Salazar-Casals Koen de Reus Nils Greskewitz Jarco Havermans Machteld Geut Stella Villanueva Ana Rubio-Garcia |
| author_sort | Anna Salazar-Casals |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent decades, the amount of marine debris has increased in our oceans. As wildlife interactions with debris increase, so does the number of entangled animals, impairing normal behavior and potentially affecting the survival of these individuals. The current study summarizes data on two phocid species, harbor (<i>Phoca vitulina</i>) and gray seals (<i>Halichoerus grypus</i>), affected by marine debris in Dutch waters from 2010 to 2020. The findings indicate that the annual entanglement rate (13.2 entanglements/year) has quadrupled compared with previous studies. Young seals, particularly gray seals, are the most affected individuals, with most animals found or sighted with fishing nets wrapped around their necks. Interestingly, harbor seals showed a higher incidence of ingested debris. Species differences with regard to behavior, foraging strategies, and habitat preferences may explain these findings. The lack of consistency across reports suggests that it is important to standardize data collection from now on. Despite increased public awareness about the adverse environmental effects of marine debris, more initiatives and policies are needed to ensure the protection of the marine environment in the Netherlands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:54:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d5007906f8c46b69c8c8936456b810e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-1924 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:54:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oceans |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d5007906f8c46b69c8c8936456b810e2023-11-23T18:14:04ZengMDPI AGOceans2673-19242022-08-013338940010.3390/oceans3030026Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020Anna Salazar-Casals0Koen de Reus1Nils Greskewitz2Jarco Havermans3Machteld Geut4Stella Villanueva5Ana Rubio-Garcia6Sealcentre Pieterburen, 9968AG Pieterburen, The NetherlandsComparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 6525XD Nijmegen, The NetherlandsSealcentre Pieterburen, 9968AG Pieterburen, The NetherlandsEcomare, 1796AZ De Koog, The NetherlandsStichting A Seal Centrum voor Zeezoogdierenzorg, 3251LD Stellendam, The NetherlandsSealcentre Pieterburen, 9968AG Pieterburen, The NetherlandsSealcentre Pieterburen, 9968AG Pieterburen, The NetherlandsIn recent decades, the amount of marine debris has increased in our oceans. As wildlife interactions with debris increase, so does the number of entangled animals, impairing normal behavior and potentially affecting the survival of these individuals. The current study summarizes data on two phocid species, harbor (<i>Phoca vitulina</i>) and gray seals (<i>Halichoerus grypus</i>), affected by marine debris in Dutch waters from 2010 to 2020. The findings indicate that the annual entanglement rate (13.2 entanglements/year) has quadrupled compared with previous studies. Young seals, particularly gray seals, are the most affected individuals, with most animals found or sighted with fishing nets wrapped around their necks. Interestingly, harbor seals showed a higher incidence of ingested debris. Species differences with regard to behavior, foraging strategies, and habitat preferences may explain these findings. The lack of consistency across reports suggests that it is important to standardize data collection from now on. Despite increased public awareness about the adverse environmental effects of marine debris, more initiatives and policies are needed to ensure the protection of the marine environment in the Netherlands.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/3/3/26harbor sealgray sealentanglementingestionmarine debrisfishing nets |
| spellingShingle | Anna Salazar-Casals Koen de Reus Nils Greskewitz Jarco Havermans Machteld Geut Stella Villanueva Ana Rubio-Garcia Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020 Oceans harbor seal gray seal entanglement ingestion marine debris fishing nets |
| title | Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020 |
| title_full | Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020 |
| title_fullStr | Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020 |
| title_short | Increased Incidence of Entanglements and Ingested Marine Debris in Dutch Seals from 2010 to 2020 |
| title_sort | increased incidence of entanglements and ingested marine debris in dutch seals from 2010 to 2020 |
| topic | harbor seal gray seal entanglement ingestion marine debris fishing nets |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/3/3/26 |
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