Salon: Seals, the Chunky Einsteins of the Ocean, Are Dying Painfully Due to Plastic Pollution
- Entanglement
- Ocean trash
Intelligent, strong and top predators, seals are suffering from human acts and wastefulness
Published in Salon on July 2, 2022
They called the sea lion Blonde Bomber.
As Adam Ratner shared the plucky marine mammal's story with Salon, his voice welled up with affection. Blonde Bomber's story is just one among many in which a pinniped has nearly lost its life to plastic pollution, but it was clear that Blonde Bomber struck a special chord.
"Pier 39 is a place in basically downtown San Francisco that is kind of a mass tourist attraction," Ratner, the associate director of conservation education at The Marine Mammal Center, told Salon. Sea lions will often pop up to the delight of tourists – but in Blonde Bomber's case, they also noticed that he had some kind of plastic strap stuck around his neck. He needed help, and people reached out to The Marine Mammal Center because they cared.
Header image: photo © NOAA / NOAA permit #16632
Yes, I want to save a life!
Yes, I want to save a life!
You’ll be giving sick and injured animals the best possible care at the Center’s state-of-the-art hospital. With your gift today, you are giving a patient a second chance at life in the wild.
See Our Latest News
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Elephant seal\/cropped-images\/wild-es-ano-nuevo-photo-by-clive-beavis-159-0-1270-992-1772151576.jpg","alt":"wild northern elephant seal at ano nuevo state park","title":"Avian Influenza Confirmed in Northern Elephant Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/avian-influenza-confirmed-in-northern-elephant-seals","label":"News Update","date":"2026-02-26 01:00:00"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/two-gray-whales-golden-gate-bridge-shutterstock-0-0-1270-992-1770234810.jpg","alt":"two gray whales under the Golden Gate Bridge","title":"The Marine Mammal Center and San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee Pilot New Vessel Operator Training Program","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/the-marine-mammal-center-and-san-francisco-harbor-safety-committee-pilot-new-vessel-operator-training-program","label":"Press Release","date":"2026-02-06 01:00:00"}
The Marine Mammal Center and San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee Pilot New Vessel Operator Training Program
February 6, 2026
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Bottlenose dolphin\/cropped-images\/dolphinphoto-by-adam-li-c-noaa-0-0-1270-992-1769539954.jpg","alt":"A bottlenose dolphin jumps out of the water.","title":"What\u2019s the Difference Between Dolphins and Porpoises? And Other Animal Trivia","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/whats-the-difference-between-dolphins-and-porpoises-and-other-animal-trivia","label":"News Update","date":"2026-01-26 23:00:00"}
What’s the Difference Between Dolphins and Porpoises? And Other Animal Trivia
January 26, 2026
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Sea otters\/2025\/cropped-images\/so-mooring-release-2-laurie-miller-c-the-marine-mammal-center-USFWS-permit-MA101713-1-147-8-1270-992-1770307740.jpg","alt":"Sea otter - Mooring","title":"Rescue Stories: Southern Sea Otter Mooring Named the 2025 Patient of the Year","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/rescue-stories-vote-for-your-favorite-marine-mammal-patient-of-2025","label":"News Update","date":"2026-01-16 10:05:08"}
Rescue Stories: Southern Sea Otter Mooring Named the 2025 Patient of the Year
January 16, 2026
Read More