Featured Image Credit: Screenshot
By: Laura O’Brien
Concerned beachgoers found an injured sea lion at La Jolla Cove, and one woman called SeaWorld to help the animal. Videos show that the sea lion’s lip had been impaled with a very large fishhook. When SeaWorld sent staff to rescue the mammal, it had already moved and, unfortunately, they could not find it. What is more distressing is that they did find another seal, that had a large fishhook stuck in its chest. Although SeaWorld’s Senior Animal Care Specialist, Jennifer Zarate, said that wound was superficial.
However, the abundance of human-caused injuries is still a matter for concern. Conflicts between sea lions and people are common in La Jolla because when the sea lions moved into the area, they began to cause issues for local businesses and beachgoers. They are sharing spaces with humans which can occasionally lead to aggressive behavior.
Unfortunately, the contempt that some people have for the mammals has led to multiple brutal attacks; such as when a sea lion was intentionally stabbed with a fishing gaff that had a blade the size of a horseshoe. That sea lion died, despite SeaWorld’s efforts to save it a few years ago.
Animals are injured and die every day due to human activities; and not just in areas such as La Jolla where ongoing conflicts exist between the wildlife and the local people. Pollution, negligence, recklessness, and even occasionally harassment all cause terrible injuries to sea creatures. Although many people believe that changes must be made to prevent this, there continues to be resistance against regulations that aim to cut back on unnecessary animal deaths.
Oftentimes, those proposed regulations affect the fishing industry far more than they affect other people. To some this may seem unfair, however, it is hard to avoid, because fishing practices have a huge impact on sea-life; and they need to evolve in order to stop causing so much damage. Regulation that heavily impacts the fishing industry tends to generate pushback that can be hard to overcome for conservationists. It is critical that lawmakers, conservationists, and civilians work together in order to find passable regulations that can protect sea life without making any group of people or industry feel unfairly targeted.
Environmental education is crucial, especially in coastal cities, so that people will learn about why it is important to protect marine life. Helping raise awareness about how our daily lives are impacted by the animals in our ecosystem, and how our daily lives impact theirs, could hopefully create lasting change.
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