There has been a surge of plastic trash that has been washing up on beaches in Nome and across the Bering Strait Region.

This was a first expedition by volunteers and activists to rescue seals trapped in plastic rubbish on the island, a breeding ground in the Sea of Okhotsk, off Sakhalin.

Staff from the governor's office responded and found two bulls entangled on the shore. One lay dead in the water, and another could not move. A third bull had managed to get loose.

Regurgitation from a bald eagle contains plastic pieces.

Discovery prompts fear that melting ice will allow more plastic to be released back into the oceans. Traces of 17 different types of plastic were found in frozen seawater.