Warning signs and barricades have been erected at the Narooma town wharf following the hauling out of an injured bull seal last week. It was only a few years ago that the seals started hauling out on the rocks next to Australia Rock, where they are now a regular fixture and quite the tourist attraction.
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Fishers have interacted with seals for many years now but now that the seals are hauling out on the town’s footpaths and looking for food at boat ramps, it’s gone to the next level. Both National Parks and ORRCA volunteers have repeated warnings to stay well away from the seals at locations such as fish cleaning tables and on breakwalls and footpaths.
Locals are urged to take care around seals and give them space. Seals are wild animals and can be unpredictable; they move fast on land and may bite if frightened. Supervise children and restrain pets at all times, and never walk between a seal and the water. Seals have an exclusion zone of 40 metres from adult seals for people and vessels, and 80 metres from pups.
Whether that distance is practical when the seals are coming so close to populated areas is another matter. Narooma is well and truly the home of fur seals and with numbers increasing, we are going to have to learn to live with them and expect more interactions.
The Australian fur seal is considered the world's fourth-rarest seal species. Hunted to the brink of extinction last century, population recovery has been slow, and seals are now wholly protected. Montague Island is considered the main haul-out site for the species in NSW.
The Australian fur seal population is well below its original size. The pre-sealing annual seal pup production was estimated to be between 20,000 to 50,000 (Warneke 1982) whereas in 1992, annual pup production was estimated at only 13,000 (Pemberton and Kirkwood 1994). New Zealand or long nose fire seals were also was decimated by commercial sealing in the late 18th and early 19th century but numbers have now increased to around 80,000 in Australia.
The Australian fur seal is found from the coast of NSW, down around Tasmania to Victoria and South Australia. It breeds on small isolated rocks in Bass Strait between October and January. It also hauls-out at various rocky areas along the coastline, especially outside the breeding season when many disperse from breeding colonies.
Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
