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)
South American sea lions were hunted extensively
since the end of the 17th century, which heavily depleted
some populations. This species is no longer hunted commercially as it is
protected in almost all South America. There exist great conflicts
between this species of sea lions and fisheries resulting in killing by
fishermen to ‘avoid damage to their nets’.
El Niño events have also a dramatic impact on
South American sea lion populations. In Peru it was reported that the
1997 - 1998 El Niño drastically reduced sea lion populations. The
greatest loss of sea lions consisted of adult females, which will slow
the recovery rate of this population. In northern Chile, it affected
mainly pups and juvenile sea lions, which also leads to a slow recovery
rate.
IUCN
(World Conservation Union)
listed the South American sea lion as under ‘lower
risk’ and ‘conservation dependent’ and also Argentina listed this
species in the ‘Red Book’ (SAREM -
Argentine Association for the Study of Mammals)
as under 'least concern'.
In 1999 UNESCO's World Heritage Committee
designated Argentina's Península Valdés, an important site for South
American sea lions, as a World Heritage Site.
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