Seal catches in the Arctic Thousands

500 400 300 I 200

Note: catches for the period 1946–1970 derived from 5-year averages.

100 0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2009 Source: ICES, 2009

Harp seal Hooded seal

II

. As a result, the hooded seal had been classified as vulnerable on both Norway’s Red List since 20066 IUCN Red List since 20085

and on the . The ribbon seal, spotted seal, and

the Okhotsk Sea ringed seal sub-species (P. h. ochotensis) have not been categorized by IUCN due to insufficient data3

. Threats

Climate change predictions for the coming decades may change the prognosis for some seal species significantly1

. In a

warmer Arctic, endemic seals will face extreme levels of habitat change, the most dramatic being the reduction in sea ice1

.

Less ice, together with increased water and air temperatures, will impact seals’ mobility and the density and distribution of their prey. It will increase competition from invasive temperate species and increase predation from species formally unable to reach them. Finally, it will increase the risk of disease, and possibly increase the risks from contaminants1

. Seals will also 66 PROTECTING ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY

There is a significant difference of opinion regarding seal species that is most vulnerable to climate change. Most likely all ice-associated species will face great challenges1,7

. Of the

Arctic seals, the hooded seal appears to be the most sensitive. Hooded seals have very specific feeding requirements and use sea ice for whelping and moulting. The ringed seal and bearded seal seem to be less vulnerable because they occur across the Arctic, have large population sizes, can live in a variety of habitats, and can feed on many species.

Studies conducted in the Arctic show that all seal species contain POPs and heavy metal contaminants even when levels in air, soil, and water are low8

. This is because seals and other top

predators in the Arctic absorb and accumulate contaminants that have become concentrated in the fatty tissues of their prey9

.

with protective measures taken in the last few years, recent data shows that the decline is continuing through unknown causes5

be affected by an increase in human activities like shipping and exploitation of natural resources in areas previously inaccessible due to ice1

.