Mitigating fur seal interactions: relocation from Tasmanian aquaculture farms

Abstract

Abstract At Tasmanian salmon aquaculture farms, fur seals were trapped and relocated to reduce interactions with stock, operations and equipment. From 1990 to 2005, 4517 relocations of 1124 seals were undertaken, peaking at 1203 relocations in 2003. Of the relocations, 56% were recaptured seals. Most seals had less than 10 captures (46%), with 3% trapped more than 20 times. Relocations were mostly seasonal, occurring in the austral winter and spring with a peak in August. Seal recapture intervals were highly variable, ranging from days to years. Within the same year, recapture intervals per seal ranged from 4 to 258 days, mean 36 days. Australian fur seals were trapped more frequently than New Zealand fur seals. The first trapped New Zealand fur seal was identified in 2000. Relocation provides short‐term relief from seal interactions but does not mitigate the interaction problem in the longer term. The core of the seal interaction problem is the current inability to exclude seals from pens and fish stock. Salmon farms are providing a predictable, accessible food source for seals. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.