Seal found dead with rope on neck

A dead fur seal, with two iron weights attached to a rope around its neck, has been found floating in Picton harbour.

The seal was first spotted off the west shore last week but eluded Department of Conservation (DOC) staff for several days, Mike Avis of the Sounds area office said.

The seal was eventually spotted bobbing just off the Picton foreshore.

Mr Avis said the seal had been dead about a week and had been chewed by fish, possibly sharks, but there was no way of knowing how it died.

Dolphin Watch Ecotours director Dan Englehaupt said it was obvious that someone had killed it and tried to sink the evidence.

"That someone is so blatantly abusive towards a protected species is frustrating, to say the least, and we hope DOC finds the culprit and slaps a massive fine on them with a bit of jail time to boot," he told the Marlborough Express.

- NZPA