The Vancouver Aquarium has shared dramatic video of a sea lion rescue off Vancouver Island in a bid to shed light on the impact of ocean plastic and debris on marine life.

Using vessels provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, members of the aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre were able to free a female Steller sea lion Saturday from a piece of nylon rope that was cutting deeply into its neck.

The crew also tried to help another sea lion entangled in a plastic packing strap, but the animal bit out the sedative dart and fled into the water before the team could reach it.

“We’re happy we were able to save the female. The rope was cutting in quite deeply and she was suffering badly and would eventually have died,” Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at Vancouver Aquarium, said in a statement.

“Of course, we would like to have had two successful rescues today, or more than two — we know there are hundreds of animals entangled in trash and plastic on our coast, and unfortunately we just can’t get to all of them."

The vet and his team first immobilized the 260-kilogram animal using a sedative dart before using specialized equipment to disentangle the rope.

Steller sea lions live in the northern Pacific and are the largest in the species. Some Steller populations near Alaska are endangered.

Haulena has spent two decades developing methods to safely help sea lions affected by marine debris. So far, he and his team have saved more than 20 of the animals from entanglement. Each rescue costs about $2,000.

“The problem of plastic pollution in our oceans is becoming a crisis, and it’s one that we all need to take more seriously in our daily lives,” Haulena said.

“From debris that causes entanglement of marine mammals like these, to smaller plastics that get ingested by fish and animals at the bottom of the food chain, our single-use plastic waste is having a huge impact.”

The nylon rope is currently being analyzed to determine exactly what it's made of and where it came from. Haulena's team can use that information to advocate for change that will see less plastic end up in the ocean.

Anyone who sees a marine mammal in distress is asked to call the rescue centre at 604-258-7325 (SEAL).