{"id":5306,"date":"2022-01-19T14:12:11","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T14:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnblue.org.ng\/journal\/?p=5306"},"modified":"2025-04-16T08:07:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T08:07:48","slug":"cape-fur-seals-a-study-on-human-impact-on-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnblue.org.ng\/journal\/biodiversity\/2022\/01\/cape-fur-seals-a-study-on-human-impact-on-biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Fur Seals: A Study on Human Impact on Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: SciTech Daily<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Cape Fur seal is a marine mammal endemic to the coastline of South Africa and Namibia. The population size is estimated to be 1.5-2 million, about two thirds of which are in Namibia<\/a>. They are known for their curious and playful nature, and are more or often than not found investigating and playing with random objects in the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their population numbers are considered rather healthy \u2014 however, poor waste management and minimal government intervention on hunting has led to these poor seals being caught in fishing lines and nets, resulting in horrifying injuries and slow, painful deaths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cape Fur seal is listed in Appendix 2<\/a> of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), meaning they are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but any trade involving them must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first learned about the Cape Fur seals after reading about Fran\u00e7ois Hugo, the \u2018Seal Whisperer\u2019 of Cape Town. He was known for his deep love for the fur seals, and was a pioneer for South Africa\u2019s only successful seal rescue and rehabilitation program, Seal Alert SA<\/a>. He recognized the key issues that were leading to the deaths of the seals, and self funded all his efforts to save them. In 2009, he even attempted to buy out the Namibian Seal Hunting Industry for US$14 million<\/a>, but was unsuccessful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes seals so special?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seals help establish balance in marine ecosystems. They consume fish, squid, and crustaceans. They also serve as a food source for orcas, polar bears, and sharks. Most importantly, they help cycle nutrients<\/a> through the water column, and transfer them from sea to shore, through their movement alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cape Fur seal Hunt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: Ocean Sentry<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every year, between the months of August and November, Cape Fur seals are hunted commercially. The hunt quota for the 2000 season was set at 60,000 pups and 7,000 adult males, almost double that of the 1999 quota of 30,000 pups and 5,000 adult males. The number of hunt concession holders for the 2000 season was also doubled from two to four<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Namibian government claims that the increased quota benefits local fisheries, environmentalists have proven that the claim lacks substantial evidence to support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hunt is also widely criticized for its inhumane nature \u2014 pups are clubbed to death and adult males are shot. The government has not banned the possession of firearms<\/a> by fishermen, thereby encouraging these actions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, photographers are banned from beaches where the hunt takes place, meaning that it is difficult to monitor the actual death count of the seals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overfishing and Improper Disposal of Plastic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: Two Oceans Aquarium<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No measures are being taken to control overfishing and other destructive practices, leading to a depletion in fish populations<\/a>, resulting in seals suffering from starvation and malnutrition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has led to hundreds of malnourished fur seals washing up along South Africa\u2019s West Coast since October 2021<\/a>, in search of food or any form of nourishment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data gathered by the World Wide Fund for Nature has led us to learn that only 16% of plastics are recycled in South Africa<\/a>. Thanks to improper waste management and overflowing landfills, the rest of the plastic ends up in the ocean, threatening marine life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned earlier, owing to their playful nature, young seals more often than not tend to investigate discarded fishing nets and improperly discarded plastic waste, resulting in horrifying injuries and an incredibly slow death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their thick, backward facing fur<\/a> which keeps them warm at sea easily snags lines and straps and stops it falling back off, making them especially vulnerable to becoming entangled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr. Tess Gridley<\/a>, co-director of the Namibia Dolphin Project, \u201cOnce entangled, these seals face a very painful and uncertain future: finding food becomes harder and wounds can become deep and debilitating, and likely cause death in many cases\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Positive Impact of Covid-19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the deaths of millions and left countless others suffering, causing havoc in modern society and upsetting the established order. However, it is ironic that it has caused a positive impact on the deaths of Cape Fur seals, at least temporarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aforementioned seal hunt has not taken place for over two years, and only a few bull seals were reportedly killed last year, owing to the repeated and extended lockdowns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FairPlanet, a Berliner social enterprise, interviewed an anonymous Namibian conservationist, who said that Namibian fishermen \u201cwere allowed to kill 6,000 bulls, but they did not get near that number because they started very late in the year and they had to stop as soon as the first pups were born<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is certainly a positive development, but certainly not a sustainable one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is being done to Conserve the Species?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: National Geographic<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, researchers and conservationists from Stellenbosch University, Sea Search-Namibian Dolphin Project, and Ocean Conservation Namibia launched a project to investigate the impact of water pollution on the Cape Fur seals.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team has been monitoring the entanglement rates of seals, and more importantly, Ocean Conservation Namibia has been disentangling the seals caught in fishing nets and other discarded pieces of plastic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on their research, it was discovered that the rates of entanglement were roughly 1 per 500 animals. Of the 347 entangled animals documented, the disentanglement team were able to successfully disentangle 191 seals between 2018 and March 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have already disentangled over 600 fur seals in only two colonies. This is the tip of the iceberg. It is imperative that studies such as this highlight the consequences of plastic waste on marine animals, and bring around change for the better\u201d, says Naud\u00e9 Dreyer from Ocean Conservation Namibia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With such efforts in play, it is safe to say that the future of the Cape Fur seals is looking bright. Several environmentalists are causing public outcry and shedding light on the gory practices in play in South Africa. The deaths of Cape Fur seals also serve as a reminder of the terrible impact of improper waste management. In an era where more people than ever are better educated on the importance of biodiversity, we should spread awareness on the same and take a stand against the countries and peoples that encourage these practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly what we aim to achieve here, at LEARNBLUE. This article addresses the topic of the impact of human action on Cape Fur seals, which is in line with Climate Action<\/strong> and Life Below Water<\/strong>, two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created by the United Nations. By writing articles that are relevant to efforts being made by environmental organizations, more and more people will become aware of the injustices being carried out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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