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Fur seal population drops in Coorong, SA but control measures still planned


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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-12/dramatic-drop-in-coorong-fur-seal-population-in-sa/6932998?WT.ac=localnews_adelaide

 

The number of long-nose fur seals in the Coorong has dropped significantly in just a few months, but authorities say proposed population control measures will still be needed.

Just five seals were counted in the area last week, compared with about 100 in August, the Environment Department said.

Department ecologist Mike Gregg said the seals had moved to the offshore islands for breeding, and were likely to return early next year.

"Just because the numbers are low at the moment, doesn't mean that we are stopping our work with the fisherman to look at alternative gear and also some seal deterrents, because it is very, very likely that in the future seal numbers will increase back up again," he said.

The number of long-nose fur seals has been a significant issue for the local commercial fishing industry.

Authorities estimated the seals have been responsible for reducing the fishing catch in the Lower Lakes and Coorong by 70 per cent.

The State Government has rejected calls for a cull, saying it is committed to spend $100,000 on non-lethal ways of controlling the population, such as underwater crackers to scare the seals away.

"They are a very small, underwater explosive and they go off underwater and they make a loud band, a crack sound and that produces a sound wave that's uncomfortable for the seal and put really simply, it startles or scares the seals away from an area," Mr Gregg said.

 

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  • 3 months later...

Is it possible the seals are just coming back to where they once were? I mean i found/seen it first hand 

http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/goolwa_toowoomba/indigenous?result_6095_result_page=2 

 

Note this is in the aboriginal museum down there and it states 

 

Tanned seal skin

This seal was caught in the Goolwa channel in 1901 by the Lush family. The seal was caught in a net, and would have been in the Coorong chasing a feed. Seal was a traditional food. 

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Is it possible the seals are just coming back to where they once were? I mean i found/seen it first hand 

http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/goolwa_toowoomba/indigenous?result_6095_result_page=2 

 

Note this is in the aboriginal museum down there and it states 

 

Tanned seal skin

This seal was caught in the Goolwa channel in 1901 by the Lush family. The seal was caught in a net, and would have been in the Coorong chasing a feed. Seal was a traditional food. 

The Seal Skin in the link from Goolwa all those years ago does not look to be the troublesome Long-nosed Fur Seal { aka NZ Fur Seal....Arctocephalus forsteri }  but more likely the endangered Australian Sealion { Neophoca cinerea } of which there is only 1 mainland colony at Point Labbat, Sth Aust,  but generally associated with Kangaroo Island, plus offshore colonies. Vagrants of the endangered Australian Sealion can be encountered around much of our shoreline, but not in the huge numbers as is the case of the Long-nosed Fur Seal.

 

Records generally indicate the Long-nosed Fur Seal has been around Sth Aust for many decades, and again mostly on Kangaroo Island. But now for whatever reason the population is growing rapidly and spreading out to establish more permanent or semi permanent colonies....and this is where the problem lies.....population explosion.

 

Seems the recording of numbers varies a great deal, but one thing is for sure, there are a lot more than there was 20 or 30 years ago, or /and spreading out further afield. In the long term I guess they will move on once the food source is significantly depleted, which means we all suffer in the meantime....Seals no concept of conservation :rolleyes:

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Make pet food out of them, or fertilizer like they do with carp.

And in some places in the world, folks eat them, so why don't we harvest them and create jobs in the process.

Underwater crackers would only scare the fish, not the seals.

Agree the crackers seem like a silly idea, I'm sure any fish will also move on with that much disturbance as well.

 

Harvesting them....it'll never happen not while the eyes of the world are watching. Australia is strong on the anti Whaling scene, it sure as hell wouldn't want to be seen as being hypocritical

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G'day

Hey Col are these NZ seals considered feral here?

Cheers

Rod

Good question, I've never heard them referred to as feral, might be a good title though, but the term feral generally refers to creatures that were introduced by humans and have gone wild. The NZ Fur Seal has always been around and are not restricted to just NZ, but they usually prefer remote rocky shorelines as opposed to sheltered gulf regions.. The occurrence of large numbers in the Coorong in the time of our record keeping is rather unusual, especially way upstream into the freshwater regions like Milang and Murray Bridge. { I actually found a dead bull at Point Sturt in the reeds 2 weeks ago, reason of death unknown }

 

I have mentioned before I worked with Marine Animals for 10 yrs primarily in rescue and rehabilitation, as well as some mammal training in the old and now defunct Marineland of Sth Australia. We used to receive/capture quite a few NZ Fur Seals, mostly pups and adolescents usuallly seperated from the main colonies and parents. The populations back then, approx 15 yrs ago were restricted to areas like Kangaroo Island, large herds now in the Gulf of St Vincent is relatively new, especially the lower lakes.

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjwPhRmr

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