December 12, 2025
By: Emily Johnson
For years, our sea lion disentanglement team quietly joked about the “Cowichan Curse.”
Every time we headed to the Cowichan Bay region to attempt a rescue, something went awry or the animal simply didn’t appear.
Our history in Cowichan Bay wasn’t exactly confidence-boosting. In November 2018, we had no luck locating a reported entangled animal. In November 2019, another animal again wasn’t found. And in November 2020, we located two sea lions, one confirmed to be an old scar, the second animal although darted successfully, was too alert and agitated for the sedative to take effect, and the team had to stand down.
Leaving Cowichan Bay by the end of that third trip without a disentangled sea lion, the curse felt real.
Fast forward to December 2025, and once again, we found ourselves chasing a difficult case, a young female Steller sea lion ensnared in a thick orange rope. Early attempts on December 2nd and 3rd left us empty-handed once again. The joke about the “Cowichan Curse” resurfaced, and for a moment… it stung a little.
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The first sighting of the young Steller came on November 7th when a report was made to the DFO reporting hotline. Our team received its first report shortly after, and the sightings trickled in. On November 17th, photos that accompanied the report now showed a distinct wound forming due to the constant rub from the rope.
Then, no reports for another 10 days.
This gap in sightings was likely due to the rainy weather in the area (ironically, sea lions don’t seem to like rain), which made everything harder. Rain meant fewer sea lions hauled out on the docks and fewer people around to spot her. She had a habit of appearing late in the day, just as the light was slipping away and then would not be seen the following morning. In early December, “too dark, too fast” becomes a real operational barrier
When current photos arrived on November 30th, we were shocked by the extent of the injury. The rope had now cut deeply into her neck. We knew we had to put together a response and do what we could to locate the sea lion.
December 2nd and 3rd we were in Cowichan Bay with assistance from the DFO and the Cowichan Tribes and again, no luck. However, things looked promising when members of the public reported seeing her on December 5th, 6th and 7th hauled out on the municipal dock.
With consistent sightings, over three consecutive days, we decided it was time to give it another go.
Throughout this case, we worked closely with the Cowichan Tribe Marine Monitoring Team, who were instrumental. Their regular shoreline observations, drone flights, and rapid reporting were the backbone of this response. It was also the Cowichan Tribe who gave her the name Stl'eluqum , meaning “Fierce” or “Exceptional” in Hul’q’umi’num’, and honestly, no name has ever fit better.
On December 8th, our team redeployed for another reconnaissance mission, which ended without a sighting, but we weren’t going to give up that easy. The following day, we mobilized a full team consisting of two DFO vessels, a drone operator and an all-day on-water survey covering the entire area.
At 2:45pm, with just over one hour of daylight remaining, we made the difficult call to stand down. Gear was packed, the support vessels trailered, the team resigned to head home unlucky again in Cowichan Bay. Then, just as the rescue van pulled out of the parking lot heading to the ferry terminal, at 3:15 pm, the Cowichan Tribe called.
She had just hauled out on the dock.
Everything shifted. We turned around for what felt like a last-ditch attempt. This would be the last chance we would have before an atmospheric river would make its way to the coast, bringing with it rain in the forecast for another week. This approaching system would make it impossible to attempt another response and we knew that this sea lion didn’t have that kind of time.
With daylight slipping away, the team worked quickly and efficiently….and finally success!
The young female was successfully darted and disentangled from a thick polypropylene rope wound around her neck four times. The material had already carved deep wounds in an alarmingly short period, making the rescue not just timely but lifesaving.
We know that our sea lion disentanglement program isn’t the solution to the ocean plastic issue, but we certainly made a difference for this animal who was so severely impacted by it.
This wasn’t just a rescue. It was a community effort.
The Cowichan Bay community, members of the Comox Valley Wildlife Sightings group, and everyone following the story on Facebook poured in hope, encouragement, and real-time tips. On the morning of the rescue, locals gathered at the boat launch to support the team, offering good luck wishes and morale.
Stl’eluqum became a shared mission.
And in the end, maybe it wasn’t a curse after all, just a test of persistence, partnership, and trust in a community that cares deeply about the coast it calls home.
This rescue would not have been possible without our partners at DFO, reporting from the CVWS Community Facebook Group, support from Cowichan Tribes, and the generosity of people and groups like the Gordon and Patricia Gray Animal Welfare Foundation.
If you are wanting to support our Disentanglement program visit: https://www.vammr.org/?form=donate
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