“National Geographic” describes that in October alone, over 40 dead seals were found in Rügen. The Baltic Sea washed them ashore for several weeks. Several days ago three more carcasses of these animals were found. The situation is critical because approximately 20% of the population has died in less than a month. from the 200-strong population of gray seals living in the region. It is still not known why the seals are dying.
Seals fell victim to fishermen? There are several theories
The most common theory in Germany is that seals die in fishing nets. Research shows that the seals did not die naturally. Moreover, they had “red, bulging eyes, broken whiskers (tactile hairs) on the muzzle, abrasions on the head and fins, as well as hematomas around the head, neck, belly and fins.”
– The most likely scenario is that the animals were caught in a fishing net, says Dr. Judith Denkinger, curator at the German Maritime Museum in Stralsund. Full stomachs were also observed in some animals. Due to stress, seals often vomit and inhale food remains.
The problem with this theory, however, is that you can only be 100% sure that the animals died in fishing nets if their bodies are actually found in the net. However, only one trap was found in the Baltic Sea and it deletedbut that didn't solve the problem. Dead seals continued to be found. Fishermen also do not agree with the net theory.
The military killed the seals? There is a call for a quick reaction
Nordkurier he talked to fishermen who claim that no fishing took place in October, and the few fishermen who went out were said to have used nets so thin that they certainly would not have caught seals. In their opinion, the animals could have been killed by depth charges. However, the German Navy denied carrying out such exercises in this area.
WWF is calling on authorities to quickly explain why seals are dying. “The special protection status of gray seals requires thorough but faster action by the authorities. Precisely because no one wants one fish trap to put the entire coastal fishery in a bad light. An earlier closure of the fish trap, whether voluntary or officially ordered, would also eliminate a breeding ground for constant speculation. In the future, an increased number of finds of dead animals must immediately result in increased monitoring of the seal colony by specialized units. This is also in the interest of the fishing industry “offshore” – they wrote In message.