Saimaa ringed seal pup dies in zander net in Liperi

A Saimaa ringed seal pup drowned in a zander net on Lake Orivesi in Liperi, in northern Saimaa, Yle reported. The seal was found on 6 August in an area without a fishing restriction zone established to protect the species.

The owner of the fishing gear reported the death. Based on its length, the male seal was born this year and weighed 22.5 kilograms.

The zander net was five metres high and 60 metres long, with a mesh size of 65 millimetres and thread thickness of 0.20 millimetres. The entire net line was 180 metres long and set at a depth of about 10 to 15 metres.

Twelfth seal found dead in fishing gear this year

This is the twelfth Saimaa ringed seal found dead in fishing gear this year. Eight seals have died in nets, three in fish traps with loose openings, and one in a bottom fyke net fitted with a seal barrier grid.

“Most Saimaa ringed seal deaths in fishing gear occur in fishing restriction zones, but this case reminds us that seals also move and live outside those zones,” Miina Auttila, a special conservation adviser at Metsähallitus Parks and Wildlife Finland, said in a statement.

Over the past 10 years, Metsähallitus has learned of an average of six Saimaa ringed seal deaths in fishing gear annually. The agency estimates that the reported deaths represent only part of the total number of seals that die in fishing gear.

Under the Fishing Act, owners of fishing gear must report a dead Saimaa ringed seal. Fishing-related seal deaths threaten the recovery of the Saimaa ringed seal population, and the number of deaths in fishing gear has increased in recent years.

Seals have been seen in the area since 2013

Saimaa ringed seals have been observed in northern Saimaa, including Lake Orivesi, since 2013. A seal has occasionally been seen at the Arvinsalmi ferry crossing between Rääkkylä and Liperi. Seals have also been observed in Lake Pyhäselkä off Joensuu.