The life of a California sea lion appears to be saved after Vancouver Aquarium staff removed a fishing hook from its stomach Thursday.

The 200-kilogram adult male was rescued from the shores of Ucluelet on Tuesday after numerous concerned citizens contacted RCMP and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

In a risky surgery, the aquarium's veterinary team successfully removed the hook this afternoon, and staff are now predicting about a month-long recovery period before the animal can be released into the wild.

The sea lion was in grave danger when it was spotted with a foot-long fishing flasher hanging from its left cheek.

Dr. Martin Haulena of the Marine Mammal Rescue Society said staff noticed right away the animal was in very poor condition, with the hook embedded quite deeply in his gastrointestinal tract. He gave the animal just a 50-per-cent chance of survival.

"He was emaciated, dehydrated, very weak and suffering from a deep wound on his back. He was swimming with difficulty," Haulena said.

With the help of DFO members, aquarium staff shot the sea lion with a dart full of drugs to render it unconscious and bring it to safety.

"We darted him in the water. That was a risk but we figured we didn't have much to lose -- he wasn't going to make it on his own," Haulena said.

The sea lion was transferred to the Vancouver Aquarium's Rescue Centre later that night.

The first step Wednesday morning was to stabilize it in a pool of fresh water, allowing it to drink and naturally rehydrate.

The animal was put on a course of antibiotics and underwent a battery of tests, including x-rays and an endoscopy, to determine the location of the hook.

Critical condition

Before the surgery Thursday afternoon, Haulena said the outlook wasn't good.

"He's in very, very poor condition. He's uncomfortable. The hook can't be a nice thing," Haulena said, adding that the fishing hooks are lodged in places that necessitate large surgical procedures to remove them.

This is the facility's first rescue of a California sea lion. The facility rescued a stranded Steller sea lion on Vancouver Island last year. It was released into Barclay Sound and is said to be doing very well.

It is believed this particular sea lion hooked itself on the lure, perhaps when it came close to shore looking for food.

Last weekend, a humpback whale entangled in fishing line was rescued off the coast of Kitimat.

The animal had about 100 feet of gillnet, lead line and corks wrapped around its head that took hours to remove.

Aquarium staff say that fishing lures and garbage are often a cause of mortality in the wild, and reports of injured sea life are rising.

"Sightings are becoming more common that not only have flashers but have come into contact with fishing gear and garbage," Haulena said.

Another humpback whale was freed from a crabbing net on Aug. 5 after being spotted by a whale watching group.

But a third, nicknamed "Canuck," is still believed to be tangled in fishing line somewhere in the southern Georgia Strait.

The aquarium is asking boaters and fishermen to be cautious with their equipment, and that passersby don't feed the animals.