Snouty Overcomes an Ugly Entanglement

In many cases, an entangled animal will evade capture for months, while ocean trash, such as packing straps or fishing line, tightens around them, hampering their ability to eat, swim, and survive.

Snouty was one such animal. He was spotted multiple times over a period of several months, in an area ranging from the Coast Guard Jetty in Monterey to the floating dock next to the Sea Harvest restaurant in Moss Landing. This male juvenile California sea lion had a severe entanglement around his mouth and nose that was described by a caller as a "fishing line and possible metal trap," along with "various debris hanging off his muzzle."

Snouty was first reported to the Center on March 30, 2014, when he was hauled out at the Coast Guard Jetty. Over the next three months, more than 20 people called the Center and reported seeing him. They described him in vivid and disturbing terms, reporting that he "appeared in distress" and "cannot open mouth.

One of the caring people who called the Center to report Snouty's entanglement was Marge Brigadier, who spends a lot of time at the Coast Guard Pier. Marge volunteers as a docent with Bay Net, an organization that works to raise awareness about ocean trash and the impact it has on wildlife. Over the past four years, Marge has collected large quantities of discarded fishing line, weights, lures, and other fishing debris. In the last year and a half alone, she has picked up more than 1,600 fishing hooks. Last Friday, she added 16 more to her collection.

Marge has also reported many entangled marine mammals to the Center over the years. "Bay Net volunteers have seen a lot of sea lions and harbor seals with all kinds of different entanglements," said Marge. "There has even been a report of a sea otter trying to eat a sea urchin that was wrapped in fishing line!"

Various rescue attempts were made by the Center's Special Rescue Operations team, but Snouty proved to be too elusive for his own good. Finally, on June 26, he was rescued from a buoy in Monterey Harbor. The team approached the buoy cautiously in a boat, using a range finder to pinpoint the exact distance between them and Snouty. They then made use of an acoustic transmitter dart to give him a mild sedative to slow him down. Once sedated, Snouty was picked up with a net and brought back to the shore where he was loaded onto a waiting truck.

After arriving at the Center's hospital in Sausalito, the delicate task of removing the entanglement from Snouty's face began. The debris hanging from his muzzle turned out to be what is known as a "crab snare," a small trap that is used in the fishing industry to hold bait for crabs. 

Monofilament fishing line was also wrapped tightly around Snouty's snout, along with plastic lines coming from the trap and several wires and hooks. The pain and stress of carrying around this combined accumulation of trash were a lot for a young sea lion to handle.

Snouty was bleeding a lot when he arrived at the Center, as the entangled debris was digging deeply into his face. He was anesthetized while the fishing line was cut off and removed from his snout. Then his wounds were evaluated by veterinarians, and he was given antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to help him in his recovery.

Snouty was evaluated again after a couple of weeks and his wounds were carefully sutured to help them heal. During his stay at the Center, he exhibited a healthy appetite and a very aggressive attitude. 

After spending a month at the Center recovering from the entanglement, Snouty was released at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands.