Community Corner
Bodega Bay Sea Lion Rescue Effort Continues
Breaking: The entangled male sea lion, B-Dock, was sighted Tuesday and Wednesday in Bodega Bay, the Marine Mammal Center says.
SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- The Marine Mammal Center made a third attempt Thursday to rescue an elusive 600-pound male sea lion entangled with flexible plastic monofilament line around its neck. As the sea lion, named B-Dock grows, the line that is cutting into the blubber around his neck will tighten and could become life threatening, the Marine Mammal Center said Friday.
B-Dock was seen Tuesday and Wednesday near Spud Point Marina and Doran Beach in Bodega Bay, Marine Mammal Center's Rescue and Response manager Dave Zahniser said.
A Special Rescue Operations team from the Marine Mammal Center planned a rescue for Thursday, Marine Mammal spokeswoman Laura Sherr said.
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Eight agencies that included the Bodega Bay Fire Department's marine unit and the University of California Marine Lab were standing by, but B-Dock didn't show.
He already had eluded rescuers in late May in Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, where it earned the name B-Dock, and at Pier 39 in San Francisco in early June. He also was seen in Monterey and Morro bays.
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"It's safe to say he has covered our entire range of 600 miles," Zahniser said.
The Marine Mammal Center plans to sedate B-Dock with a dart with an acoustic tracking device and a special combination of drugs that allow him to sleep while retaining his breathing reflex.
The rescue team would then track B-Dock in the water until he is fully sedated, usually within 45 minutes. The pings from the tracking device are detected by a hydrophone. Rescue teams will follow the sounds until they spot B-Dock.
Emergency rescues of entangled patients take patience and preparation. B-Dock is still at large https://t.co/b1HwW0PGMd pic.twitter.com/ChKeLUUFPC
— Marine Mammal Center (@TMMC) July 22, 2017
The Marine Mammal Center said ocean trash impacts about 10 percent of the mammals they treat at their Sausalito facility. Incidents involving fatal entanglements and the ingestion of marine debris have increased 40 percent in the last decade, according to the Marine Mammal Center.
The Marine Mammal Center relies on the public to report entangled mammals needing rescue, and it has about 1,200 volunteers on watch along the 600-mile coverage area. Additionally, donations to the center are always welcome, Sherr said.
By Bay City News Service
Image via Pixabay
