August 22, 2022 — Over a five-year period, 867 Alaska sea lions, seals, whales and small cetaceans like dolphins died or were gravely injured from interactions with humans, according to a report newly released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The report, required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, lists documented cases of human-inflicted harm from 2016 to 2020 to mammal species managed by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
The vast majority of cases involve entanglements in fishing gear or marine debris, and Steller sea lions made up the vast majority of the animals that fell victim, said the report, which was released by the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center.