Sea lions face entanglement in fishing gear, intentional shooting by fishermen, and the effects of climate-driven prey shifts. Welfare interventions range from gear modification to rehabilitation of injured individuals.
Entanglement injuries are among the most severe welfare harms affecting sea lions. Fishing line wrapped around necks causes injuries that deepen as animals grow, resulting in chronic pain, infection, and slow death. Wildlife rehabilitation for disentanglement requires skilled personnel and appropriate facilities. El Nino-driven starvation events test the capacity of rehabilitation networks, with thousands of malnourished pups sometimes washing ashore in single seasons. Reducing ghost gear and modifying fishing practices near sea lion foraging areas is the most scalable intervention for improving sea lion welfare at population level.