Endangered Sea Lion Facts: Threats, Conservation Status and Efforts

There are currently six different species of sea lions. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists three sea lion species as endangered, and the Endangered Species Act of the United States lists only one species as endangered (ESA).

Endangered Sea Lion Species

IUCN and state governments both consider the genetically isolated Australian sea lion to be endangered within its current range, which is believed to consist of 6,500 mature individuals across Western and South Australia.

Similarly, after being hunted to nearly extinction for their fur in the early 20th century, the IUCN listed the Galapagos sea lion from vulnerable to endangered in 2008, and it is now completely protected under Ecuadorian law. Following the last significant El Nio event in 2015, the species experienced a decline of almost 24%.

The New Zealand sea lion was listed as endangered by the IUCN in 2015 as well, citing a 98 percent likelihood that the species will go extinct in its largest general population within just five generations. There were then just over 3,000 people left in total.

The Steller sea lion, on the other hand, is listed as endangered under the ESA and is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act despite being deemed "not threatened" by the IUCN. The IUCN claims that between 1985 and 2015, a significant increase in the Loughlin Steller sea lion subpopulation made up for losses in other parts of the world.

Threats

Climate change, pollution, bycatch, and diseases brought in by other species put sea lion species at risk. While Galapagos sea lions are more vulnerable to disease, climatic change, and pollution, complications from gillnet fishing pose a very real threat to both Australian and New Zealand sea lions.

Conservation Efforts - Big and Small

Sea lions and seals are both members of the pinniped family of marine mammals, which spend most of their time in the ocean but can spend extended periods of time on land thanks to specially modified flippers that resemble feet. They are therefore difficult to count, identify, and keep an eye on. To close the gap, researchers in Glacier Bay, Alaska, are combining counts from aerial photographic surveys with in-water sightings from vessel surveys, Treehugger reports.

Countries like Australia have specific recovery plans for sea lion species that are endangered. The Western Australian government created a number of sea lion protection zones in 2018 that are strictly off-limits to gillnet fishing and are located around known breeding colonies. A decade-long program in South Australia run by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Humane Society International to prevent the use of gillnets close to sea lion colonies has reduced fishing net fatalities there by 98%.

Numerous marine reserves spread out across sea lion habitats have been shown in studies to increase prey biomass, fish diversity, and even population sizes. Community marine reserves may also enhance the ability of marine mammals to withstand some effects of the climate as well as the health of the marine ecosystem, directly benefiting both sea lions and fishermen.