An injured seal pup entangled in plastic netting has been rescued.
The poor creature was found wrapped in mesh by members of the public.
The netting, which had been pinned to the beach with an iron stake, had repeatedly cut into the seal’s flesh.
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After the members of the public tried and failed to free the animal, a call was made to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “Is this the state of our seas?
“We’ve had so many entanglements recently – a humpback whale, an adult seal in Cornwall and another seal pup that we’re struggling to be positive about the future.
“Now, this poor seal pup was called into us severely entangled in ghost netting monofilament and rope.
“Well-meaning members of the public had tried to remove the netting and even pinned it to the beach at Dunwich in Suffolk with a metal stake, presumably to keep the seal from entering the water.
“However, this made the netting cut deeper as the pup tried to move away.
“Thankfully our medics attended and removed the netting, and the pup is now in the care of RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre where she has the best chance of a full recovery.”
The spokesperson described it as a “massive undertaking for our medics from Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk” and said the seal was found in considerable distress with an infected wound.
The spokesperson continued: “Ghost netting has horrible consequences, just like for this pup.
“However, many go unfound and fatalities are common.
“We just hope we can be there for them before that happens.
“This is why we exist.”
Many people were furious about the seal’s plight, as reported by Need To Know.
One fumed: “Again make it law that every fishing boat has colour coded nets so they can be heavily fined or banned from fishing if they dont comply – this is evil.”
Another added: “Fishing companies should be legally viable for donating a certain percentage of profits to charitable organisations like yourselves.
“Percentage should be reviewed and based on how many entanglement rescues you deal with from the previous year so the more there is, the higher percentage they’ll need to ‘pay’.
“So they might consider more efficient ways of disposing of their netting and take more responsibility and contribute to looking after the oceans and all who live within it.”
Another said: “When diving I’ve witnessed a gut wrenching abundance of fishing line and rescued numerous sea life.
“I’ve often wondered if biodegradable fishing line which acts within hours once wet is the answer especially for hobby fishing.
“More cost to hobby and professional fishing but a subsurface visual on the enormity of their actions should prompt them.
“Even as divers we carry knives as getting entangled is a life death situation for us.”
And another chimed in: “Oh no no no.
“It feels very demoralising to know however much ghost gear we get off the beaches it’s never enough.
“There are so many of us all getting this stuff off yet the poor marine wildlife still suffers.
“We need more man power and to stop it being there in the first place.”
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