Conservation Status
Marine mammals are greatly influenced by their interactions with humans, either directly or indirectly. Fishing takes the lives of at least hundreds of whales, dolphins, and seals every year that drown when they become tangled in fishing nets. Drift nets meant for fish catch anything that goes by, including dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, seals, seabirds, and other marine life. Pollutants also collect (by a process called biomagnification) in the blubber of these marine mammals and many are also hunted by humans. Seals and sea otters are still sought after for their pelts in some places. Sirenians are exploited for their meat, which apparently tastes like veal, and for their skin and oil-rich blubber