Tourism_Seal_Iceland

Emma_Hemmerle — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:26:08 +0000

Tourism_Seal_Iceland Emma_Hemmerle Tue, 01/25/2022 - 15:26

Affiliation

IIED

Date Of Record Entry

Tue, 01/25/2022 - 12:00

Type of wild species covered by the record

Wild species used in its natural habitat

Stage of the value chain covered by the record

Unknown/not recorded

Record Source

Scientific publication (e.g., journal articles and book chapters independently peer-reviewed)

A responsible framework for managing wildlife watching tourism: The case of seal watching in Iceland

Unknown/not recorded

Is the species endemic HIDE

Population Status

Common and wildly distributed

No formal international protection in place

National Level

Formal national protection in place

the Icelandic harbour seal popu- lation is defined on the national red list for threatened populations as Critically Endangered;

Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species

Residential and Commercial Development

Climate Change

Pollution

Dams and other System Modifications

Disease

Illegal/Unregulated Fishing

Population Trend

Unknown/not recorded

Sub-national Level

Unknown/not recorded

Additional Details (if available)

Historically, there have been organized population reduction programs and bounty schemes for Harbor Seals in some range states, largely because of perceived competition with fisheries. Hunting and/or licensed killing to protect fisheries has largely been eliminated but subsistence hunting by Alaska Natives is allowed in the US. In the eastern Atlantic, Harbor Seal population reduction programs date from the early 1980s and 1990s in Iceland and Scotland, respectively (Bowen and Lidgard 2012) and continue at some level today (e.g., Butler et al. 2008). An extermination program at the beginning of the 20th century dramatically depleted Harbor Seals in the Baltic Sea. Quotas for Harbor Seals are set annually in Norway and a bounty is paid to hunters in several regions of the country.

Mass die-offs from viral outbreaks have killed thousands of Harbor Seals on both sides of the Atlantic, but most notably in Europe caused by phocine distemper virus (Dietz et al. 1989, Harkonen et al. 2006, Reijnders 1986). Because Harbor Seals haul out on nearshore and coastal mainland sites, they are exposed to terrestrial wild carnivores, pets and feral animals, and waste from human populations that create an increased risk of exposure to communicable diseases.

Because many Harbor Seals live and feed in close proximity to large populations of humans they are exposed to, and can accumulate, high levels of industrial and agricultural pollutants (e.g., organochlorines, PCBs, dioxins) that negatively affect reproduction (Reijnders 1986), induce vitamin deficiency (Brouwer et al. 1989), and cause immunosuppression (Ross et al. 1995). Both chronic oil spills and discharges and episodic large-scale spills can cause direct mortality (Frost et al. 1994, 1999; Hoover-Miller et al. 2001) and could have long term impacts on Harbor Seal health and their environment.

Noise and other disturbance from offshore oil and gas, and the development of offshore renewable energy such as wind farms, may also affect the foraging behavior and physical condition of Harbor Seals (Hastie et al. 2015, Skeate et al. 2012).

Harbor Seals live in coastal areas many of which are heavily fished and this results in entanglement and bycatch issues (see Desportes et al. 2010) Overfishing and environmental variability (including global climate change) may also impact Harbor Seal prey populations.

Name

Emma Hemmerlé

Scientific Name

Phoca vitulina

Common Name(s)

Harbour seal

Type of Use

Non-Extractive

How is the primary use carried out?

Watching/experiencing terrestrial, aerial, or aquatic fauna and flora in the wild (e.g., birdwatching, snorkeling, wildlife watching)

Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?

Unknown/not recorded

Purpose of Use

Income generation from trade at individual or household or community

What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?

Conservation Management (translocation, restoration, ex-situ breeding)

What is the trend in the level of offtake within the period covered by this record?