Nicole Marie Teutschel at Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz, CA--Ocean pollution is a problem for marine ecosystems. Run-off of polluted water into the ocean, trash dumping, and oil spills cause immense problems for many birds, mammals and fish. Marine debris threatens species large and small, from sea turtles to plankton, and from whales to sea birds.

Northern elephant seals seem to have escaped many pollution pressures because so much of their lives is spent in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean, and regularly at 600 meters (1800 feet) below the surface! But they haven't escaped the damaging effects of marine debris. Entanglement is the term used to describe when an animal is caught in some type of trash. Examples of trash that can entangle elephant seals are fishing nets, rope, buoys or, in this case, a plastic packing strip.

When an elephant seal gets entangled, it can find itself in a dire situation. Elephant seals grow very quickly, putting on about 450 pounds during this foraging trip alone. If a seal gets a packing slip around its body, as it continues to grow the entanglement can cause a range of problems from infection, cutting off circulation, and even death.

The numbers of marine mammals that are entangled is not recorded. But, this year, I've seen about 6 seals with entanglement, and a couple dozen with scars. Who knows what happens at sea. The injuries that result are very gruesome, and I wouldn't be surprised if they die at sea. It's much worse for sea lions, which live closer to shore.

There are many efforts to curb marine debris including beach cleanups, monitoring programs, and educational outreach. To learn more about what you can do to stop ocean pollution check out Clean Beaches Coalition, your local Surfrider Foundation, NOAA Marine Debris Programs, and the Ocean Conservancy.