Extinction
Extinct
Extinct in the
wild
Threatened
Critically
endangered
Endangered
Vulnerable
Threatened
Lower risk
Conservation
dependent
Near
threatened
Least
concern
Domesticated
Data deficient
(according to IUCN)
The population of South American fur seals in 1999 was estimated at
390.000 which is a drop from a estimation in 1987 of 500.000. Uruguay has
the largest numbers of fur seals along its coast, numbering over 250.000
individuals and this population is increasing annually
after the banning of commercial hunting in 1991. The population
along the Pacific coast is vulnerable to the El Niño events and the over-fishing.
In Peru, this species was highly hunted commercially but the hunt was
forbidden in 1959. Presently, along these coast there is a problem with
fishermen illegally killing the fur seals, claiming that
they interfere with fishing operations and diminish the anchovy numbers.
Actual population in Peru is estimated at less than 10.000 individuals.
In the Falkland Islands, where commercial hunting greatly reduced their
numbers but came to an end in 1921, the actual population contains about
15.000 seals. In Chili,
where the hunt on this species was banned in 1978, the population
is estimated at 40.000. In Argentina, the commercial hunt was forbidden
in 1937 and the actual population is estimated at more than 15.000
individuals.
This species is on appendix II of the CITES and was classified by IUCN
(World Conservation Union) as ‘data deficient’. The ‘Red Book’ of
Argentina (SAREM -
Argentine Association for the Study of Mammals)
considers this species as under ‘least concern’ and ‘conservation dependent’.
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