Early entanglement of Nova Scotian marine animals in pre-plastic fishing gear or maritime debris: indirect evidence from historic ‘sea serpent’ sightings

Abstract

Marine environmental historians and ethnobiologists have resorted to imaginative means with which to back-cast the temporal frame of reference in order to assess recent anthropogenic changes. The present study, in support of previous work from around the world, indicates that anecdotal accounts from eyewitnesses of purported sightings of sea serpents provides indirect evidence that marine animals in Nova Scotia have been subjected to anthropocentric pressure for a much longer period than commonly presumed. This involves not only direct fishery exploitation, but also perhaps from being bycatch due to entanglement in deployed gear.Key words: Unidentified marine object, entanglement, fishing gear