Sea lion pup rescue
By Will Ridgeon Producer/ Director for Ocean
we finally tracked down the anchovy and fishing boats
While making Planet Earth III, I received a tip off from a local photographer in Chile, that sea lions there were competing for anchovy with the fishing fleet (one of the largest fisheries in the world). It was a story we felt we had to tell and after months of careful planning, and weeks of searching on location, we finally tracked down the anchovy and fishing boats. The scenes that greeted us were unbelievable.
It was complete chaos!
The sea lions had learnt to respond to the engines of the fishing boats like a dinner gong, and there were thousands of them – the scale was overwhelming. I have never experienced being in amongst so many animals and the noise was deafening. The sky was full of diving birds, and thousands of sea lions were screaming as they raided the nets. It was complete chaos!
many get trapped
As the net tightened, the fishermen began to bang on the boat – a signal to the sea lions that it was time to get out. Unfortunately, the pups and inexperienced sea lions often can’t escape and tragically many get trapped.
we all felt we had to act
At the last minute the fishermen drop their net to allow the sea lions to escape, but on one particular occasion something went wrong – we could see a distressed mother frantically calling to her pup through the net, but in its panic the pup couldn’t find a way out. It was heart breaking to hear their desperate calls – we all felt we had to act.
an extremely tense moment
Safely diving around nets and a large fishing boat requires extremely careful planning – there is a risk of entanglement with the ship’s huge propellor and industrial equipment, not to mention the thousands of large sea lions. Before the divers could get in, we had to communicate our intentions with the fishermen and ensure it was safe. Only then could the divers climb onto the net to rescue the pup. It was an extremely tense moment and everyone held their breath.
a stark reminder of the risks
To see the pup reunite with its mother and the pair swim off together was a huge relief – but also a stark reminder of the risks these animals are taking and the effect our insatiable demand for fish is having on life in the ocean.
