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NRLD - 93575 | Callorhinus ursinus

Assessment ID
93575
Taxon name
Callorhinus ursinus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Callorhinus ursinus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s)
Northern Fur Seal (English), Otarie à fourrure du Nord (Français)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
chordata
Class
mammalia
Order
carnivora
Family
otariidae
Genus
Callorhinus
Species
ursinus
Species authority
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
Canada
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
Canada
Country ISO code(s)
CAN
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Threatened; Menacée
Criteria system used
Modified IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification
The population that breeds on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea feeds in, and migrates through, British Columbia waters. This population numbered about 629,000 animals in 2004. Although still relatively large, the population, as inferred from pup counts, has declined by 50-60% over three generations (1974-2004). The rate of decline has been particularly rapid since 1998. Trends in counts of adult males from 1974-2004 are confounded by response to the cessation, in 1984, of the selective commercial harvesting of sub-adult males in 1984. These counts have declined rapidly and inexplicably since 1992. The reasons for the population decline are unknown. Entanglement in marine debris, disturbance, pollution, and environmental changes, possibly including a regime shift in the Bering Sea and North Pacific ecosystems, are thought to be contributing factors. Little is known about possible limiting factors in British Columbia and other regions where fur seals forage during their annual migration.; La population qui se reproduit sur les à®les Pribilof, dans la mer de Béring, se nourrit et migre dans les eaux de la Colombie-Britannique. Cette population comptait environ 629 000 individus en 2004. Bien que ce nombre demeure relativement élevé, la population, telle qu'estimée à partir des dénombrements des petits, a diminué de 50 à 60 % sur trois générations (de 1974 à 2004). Le taux de déclin est particulièrement rapide depuis 1998. Les tendances dans les nombres de mà¢les adultes entre 1974 et 2004 sont brouillées par la réaction à la suspension, en 1984, de la prise sélective commerciale des jeunes adultes mà¢les. Ces nombres diminuent de façon rapide et inexplicable depuis 1992. Les raisons du déclin de la population sont inconnues. L'enchevêtrement dans les débris marins, le dérangement, la pollution et les changements environnementaux, incluant possiblement un changement du régime dans les écosystèmes de la mer de Béring et du Pacifique Nord, sont considérés comme des facteurs contributifs. Les facteurs limitatifs possibles sont peu connus en Colombie-Britannique et dans d'autres régions o๠les otaries à fourrure cherchent de la nourriture pendant leur migration annuelle.
Assessment details
Year assessed
2006
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Environment Canada.
Criteria system used
Modified IUCN
Reference for methods given
COSEWIC- Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (2006)
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
British Columbia; Pacific Ocean
Is there a map available in assessment?
Not_assigned
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Terrestrial
Not_assigned
Freshwater
Not_assigned
Marine
Not_assigned
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
No information available
History
Designated Not at Risk in April 1996. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in April 2006.; Espèce désignée ' non en péril ' en avril 1996. Réexamen du statut : l'espèce a été désignée ' menacée ' en avril 2006.
Publication
COSEWIC. 2006. Canadian Wildlife Species at Risk. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Web site: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/wildlife-plants-species/species-risk.html