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Seals Make A Comeback

Marlo Primary School student Nikia Allen has been coming to grips with the biology of our seals. Nikia has researched the 10 species of seals that occur around Australia.

By Department of Sustainability and Environment - 1st June 2004 - Back to News

Her seal biology diorama has been on display at the Department of Sustainability and Environment Office in Orbost.

"I really like seals and after doing this project I understand a lot more about them," Nikia said.

"I am very concerned about oil spills and seals getting tangled in fishing nets."

Seal numbers along the East Gippsland coast have staged a dramatic recovery since being close to extinction there in the mid 1800s.

The largest seal breeding colony in the region, on The Skerries near Wingan Inlet, now regularly hosts about 12,000 Australian Fur Seals and New Zealand Fur Seals.

Orbost-based DSE Flora and Fauna Officer, Tony Mitchell, said that the colony was down to a few hundred when regular counts began in the 1986.

"When the hunting of seals for their skins ended in the 1830s, Bass Strait was nearly empty of seals," Mr Mitchell said.

"Their recovery has been quite dramatic especially over the last 20 years."

Mr Mitchell has been working with biologists from Phillip Island Nature Park and other organisations who have been doing regular seal counts at all the colonies along the south-east Australian coast.

"Seal populations are growing at all the sites. There are now close to 100,000 seals along the coast between Sydney and Adelaide," Mr Mitchell said.

"Australian Fur Seals are the most common species, but we are seeing increasing numbers of the smaller New Zealand Fur Seal. Other seals to visit our coast are the Leopard Seal and Elephant Seal."

Seals regularly come to shore to rest, often making people think that they are injured.

"Most of them are just resting and unless they are obviously injured or tangled in fishing line they should be left alone. We are keen to hear about the tangled ones as we have been able to free quite a few of these," Mr Mitchell said.

Reports of tangled seals can be made to the DSE office at Orbost.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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