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\/Hawaiian monk seal\/cropped-images\/hms-wild-photo-1-c-noaa-pifsc-hmsrp-35-0-1270-992-1759760452.jpg","alt":"A Hawaiian monk seal rests on its side on a sandy beach.","title":"Where Do Hawaiian Monk Seals Live? And Other \u2018\u012alio Holo I Ka Uaua Trivia","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/where-do-hawaiian-monk-seals-live-and-other-ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua-trivia","label":"News Update","date":"2025-10-06 00:00:00"}
Where Do Hawaiian Monk Seals Live? And Other ‘Īlio Holo I Ka Uaua Trivia
October 6, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2025\/cropped-images\/dottie-csl-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-218-0-1270-992-1759777087.jpg","alt":"California sea lion","title":"LA Times: Marine mammals are dying in record numbers along the California coast","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/la-times-marine-mammals-are-dying-in-record-numbers-along-the-california-coast","label":"In the News","date":"2025-10-03 02:00:00"}
LA Times: Marine mammals are dying in record numbers along the California coast
October 3, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/People\/Action\/Veterinary care\/cropped-images\/dane-whitaker-and-emily-whitmer-vaccine-trial-by-bill-hunnewell-49-0-1270-992-1757364612.jpg","alt":"Two veterinarians collect a blood sample from an elephant seal in a rehabilitation pen.","title":"Bird Flu Vaccine Trial May Offer Hope for Protecting Hawaiian Monk Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/bird-flu-vaccine-trial-may-offer-hope-for-protecting-hawaiian-monk-seals","label":"News Update","date":"2025-09-09 09:13:00"}
Bird Flu Vaccine Trial May Offer Hope for Protecting Hawaiian Monk Seals
September 9, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Elephant seals\/2025\/cropped-images\/es-vaccine-trial-satellite-tag-by-bill-hunnewell-218-0-1270-992-1757432410.jpg","alt":"Northern elephant seal","title":"The New York Times: Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/the-new-york-times-scientists-begin-testing-bird-flu-vaccine-in-seals","label":"In the News","date":"2025-09-09 02:00:00"}
The New York Times: Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals
September 9, 2025
Read Moreocean trash
Adam Ratner
California Sea Lion