A seal is facing a slow and agonising death from strangling by a fishing line after months of struggling.
The sea creature was filmed on a harbour pontoon with the plastic filament cutting into its flesh.
It was first spotted a few months ago with its man-made noose on.
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But the video shows it has not been removed or come loose since, instead becoming tighter.
Because seals are protected, only licensed specialists are allowed to approach the stricken animal.
Tristan Northway who saw it in Brixham, Devon, was shocked that the problem has got to this stage.
“This poor thing still has a gill net around its neck,” he told, Need To Know.
“I spotted it a few months ago – but it’s appeared again still with the gill net attached.
“If it hauls out on a beach, then maybe something could be done about it.
“But where it is at the moment is complicated.
“If a rescue is attempted, there is a risk of it diving back in and causing itself more stress.
“Unless authorities give permission, it’s actually illegal to try and approach it to help.
“Brixham’s seal population has got bigger over the years.
“And as they are an indicator species that is a good sign.
“But this particular seal is unlikely to survive with that round its neck like that.”
Gillnetting is a fishing method that uses vertical panels of netting that hang from a line, held by regularly spaced buoys, sometimes called corks.
The nets pose a significant threat to seals, as they often get tangled up and injured while trying to steal fish.
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