Harbor seals, once abundant and very common seals around Iceland's coast, are now considered to be in danger of extinction in Icelandic waters. According to estimates by the Icelandic Natural History Museum the population has dropped by 77% in the past 35 years.
Dramatic drop
The largest drop in the harbor seal population in the 20th century is believed to have taken place in the 1970s, prior to systematic counts of the animals. In 1980, when the first systematic seal count was conducted, the population stood at 33,000 animals. During the 1980s the population dropped by half, and again by a half since the 1990s. In 2016 there were only 7,600 animals left in Icelandic waters.
The Natural History Museum estimates that if the population will continue to drop at the same speed the animals will be as good as extinct in Iceland just three generations.
No protections under the law
The reasons for this drop are not known. Potential reasons for the dramatic drop in the seal population are changing ocean conditions, pollution and diseases. The main reason, however, is believed to be hunting.
While seals are no longer hunted systematically in Iceland, they are shot and killed by landowners of salmon fishing rivers who hope to keep them from feasting on expensive wild salmon. Some seals are also killed in fishing nets. Until now harbor seals have not enjoyed any protections under the law.
Harbor seals, once abundant and very common seals around Iceland's coast, are now considered to be in danger of extinction in Icelandic waters. According to estimates by the Icelandic Natural History Museum the population has dropped by 77% in the past 35 years.
Dramatic drop
The largest drop in the harbor seal population in the 20th century is believed to have taken place in the 1970s, prior to systematic counts of the animals. In 1980, when the first systematic seal count was conducted, the population stood at 33,000 animals. During the 1980s the population dropped by half, and again by a half since the 1990s. In 2016 there were only 7,600 animals left in Icelandic waters.
The Natural History Museum estimates that if the population will continue to drop at the same speed the animals will be as good as extinct in Iceland just three generations.
No protections under the law
The reasons for this drop are not known. Potential reasons for the dramatic drop in the seal population are changing ocean conditions, pollution and diseases. The main reason, however, is believed to be hunting.
While seals are no longer hunted systematically in Iceland, they are shot and killed by landowners of salmon fishing rivers who hope to keep them from feasting on expensive wild salmon. Some seals are also killed in fishing nets. Until now harbor seals have not enjoyed any protections under the law.
