Déjà Vu: Another Steller Sea Lion Rescued in Kodiak

Lethargic subadult male Steller sea lion in the Kodiak harbor entangled in a plastic packing band. Credit: Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak/Matt Van Daele, NOAA permit No. 24359.

For the second year in a row, three experts successfully freed an entangled Steller sea lion in Kodiak.

NOAA Fisheries' Kim Raum-Suryan and Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Lauri Jemison, along with veterinarian Dr. Kate

One-year-old endangered female Steller sea lion back with mom after a successful entanglement response in 2023. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Kim Raum-Suryan, NOAA permit No. 24359.

Savage, had been here before. In 2023, they successfully disentangled an endangered 1-year-old female Steller sea lion on Kodiak Island during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

This time, also on a Memorial Day weekend, they were there to attempt to disentangle a subadult male Steller sea lion. It had been seen off and on in Dog Bay Harbor since January. He was entangled in a plastic packing band and, as he grew, the band continued to cut into his neck, causing a substantial wound.

The goal was twofold: to disentangle the Steller sea lion and to continue training Kodiak partners to build entanglement response capacityon the island. That meant finding a time when all team members could participate in the disentanglement operation.

A Solid Plan

With funding in part from a John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grantawarded to the Sun'aq Tribe, the trio of experts flew to Kodiak. Upon arrival Saturday afternoon, they went straight to the dock to assess the condition of the sea lion and begin planning for a response. The entangled animal was there, snoozing at the end of a narrow finger of land off the main dock.

Their next stop was the conference room at NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement building, which was full of people who wanted to help.

Matt Van Daele from the Tribe had gathered state and federal law enforcement, community members, and fishery biologists to help provide as many observers as possible. They needed extra assistance in case the sea lion went into the water after the team tranquilized it. Also present was veterinarian Dr. Michelle Oakley to assist with veterinarian care. The team discussed layout of the harbor, logistics, individual assignments, and how best to position team members. They came up with a solid plan to implement the following morning.

False Start

Reconnaissance early Sunday morning revealed the sea lion was still on the dock in his usual spot, sound asleep.

The team wanted to be prepared in case the sea lion went into the water and swam under a large boat or one of the many dock extensions after being darted. They asked the owner of the F/V Victory if they could use her boat as a platform to dart the sea lion and she agreed.

Responders then met at 8:30 a.m. to discuss the plan.

"There were a total of 21 people there to help! It was amazing," said Raum-Suryan. "We had a licensed FAA drone pilot, four boats, and several people on docks positioned to observe and follow the sea lion if he jumped in the water."

Once everyone was ready. The team headed over to the dock where the sea lion had been earlier that morning, and-no sea lion! He had left, perhaps to forage for the day. Everyone had to stand down. Members of the team monitored the dock throughout the day, waiting for the marine mammal to come back.

Disentanglement Success!

The sea lion hauled up on the dock again about 2:30 p.m. The team reassembled for a quick briefing. Once everyone was in position, Dr. Savage darted the sea lion from the F/V Victory. It was a perfect shot to the chest, but unfortunately, not all of the drug was dispensed from the plunger of the dart. Because he did not get the full dose, Dr. Savage got aboard the Alaska State Trooper boat and hand-injected more drug to ensure he was fully sedated. As he went to sleep, he continued to use the dock railing as a chin rest, a good position that allowed him to breathe easily while sedated.

Now the team got to work. The first priority was to remove the entanglement. This proved to be a bit tricky because there was a thick layer of fibrous tissue covering much of the packing band. Because the band could move freely within the fibrous tissue channel, they were able to cut the band and carefully slide it out.

Veterinarians monitor vital signs while the rest of the team works to remove the entanglement, sample, and attach satellite tags for post-release monitoring. Credit: Eric Engvall, NOAA permit No. 24359.

They then used epoxy to glue a satellite tag to the top of the sea lion's head to provide detailed location data for this animal until its hair sheds and the tag falls off. They also attached a location-only satellite tag to the flipper that should last a year or more, well beyond the late-summer molt. The team took biological samples (fur, whisker, skin) and used hair dye to apply a temporary mark to his right side and bright pink paint stick to the top of his head, for easy post-release identification. Once they were done sampling, Dr. Savage gave the animal reversal drugs to wake him up and the response was deemed a success.

Positive Outcome for the Sea Lion

The sea lion once the entanglement was removed and he was awake. He has a temporary dye mark on his right side and temporary paint stick on his fur for short-term monitoring. Credit: Eric Engvall, NOAA permit No. 24359.

This was the team's first entanglement response in a busy harbor with many bystanders watching the whole operation.

One fisherman remarked, "We fishermen don't necessarily love sea lions, but nobodywants to see an animal suffer like that. Thank you for helping him!"

The success of the effort is credited to the support from the community of Kodiak, including the Sun'aq Tribe, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska State Wildlife Troopers, and the many volunteers who gave up their Memorial Day weekend to help. Additionally, veterinarian Michelle Oakley traveled to Kodiak to assist with animal handling and monitoring.

Map showing satellite locations of the Steller sea lion once he was disentangled. Credit: Google maps

The latest on the sea lion indicates he is doing well. For 11 days post-release the sea lion continued to haul out on the dock in the Kodiak harbor. Then, on day 12, he swam about 30 miles to the northeast where he took up residence at a large rookery. We are thankful for the strong community effort to save the life of this sea lion. The team is hopeful he will stay away from any packing bands in the future so he can live out the rest of his life safely.

What can you do to help?

Lose the Loop! Always cut any loop before properly discarding it in the trash so it does not entangle an animal. This includes six-pack rings, plastic bands off fish packing boxes, loops of netting on discarded fishing gear, etc.

If you see an entangled, injured, or dead marine mammal, call the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding and Entanglement Network 24/7 hotline at (877) 925-7773.

Never attempt to disentangle a sea lion yourself. Response requires an experienced team, authorized under a federal permit issued to the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Programto safely disentangle an animal.