Dead seal washed ashore in Donegal

A dead seal, enmeshed in nets, has washed ashore in Donegal.

The corpse was discovered on a beach in Inishowen by an employee of Donegal County Council.

"I have seen photos from around the world on the effect marine litter can have on our environment but when I saw this at home the reality of it was shocking” said the staff member, who prefers to remain anonymous.

“I just wanted to share these images to raise awareness of the issue”.

A spokesperson for Donegal County Council's environment section added, "Marine litter currently poses a dire, vast and growing threat to our environment.

"Most marine litter consists of material that degrades slowly, if at all, so a continuous input of large quantities of these items results in a gradual build-up in the marine and coastal environment.

"This negative trend has been confirmed by a number of studies throughout the world, clearly indicating that the situation with regard to marine litter is continuously getting worse.

"Every year, millions and millions of tons of litter end up in our seas, posing environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problems. We need to tackle this problem by raising awareness of the dreadful harm that this waste is causing."