Thirteenth Saimaa ringed seal found dead in fishing gear this year

A Saimaa ringed seal has been found drowned in a fishing net in Pihlajavesi, Savonlinna, Yle reports, citing Metsähallitus. The seal’s owner reported the discovery on Monday.

The male seal was either born last year or this year and weighed 32 kilograms.

The incident occurred in an area covered by fishing restrictions intended to protect Saimaa ringed seals. According to Metsähallitus, the net was a legal vendace net under current regulations.

It was the 13th Saimaa ringed seal to die in fishing gear this year. Nine died in nets, three in fish traps, and one in a bottom trap fitted with a seal-exclusion grate.

Over the past 10 years, Metsähallitus has been informed of an average of six Saimaa ringed seals dying in fishing gear each year.