Variation of Antarctic seal population in response to human activities in 20th century

Abstract

A sediment core was collected from the Fildes Peninsula of Antarctica, which contained numerous seal hairs and was identified to be seal excrement deposition. By analyzing its total organic carbon (TOC) and concentrations of bio-elements, the seal population changes of the past century were reconstructed. The variation of seal population in the last century on the Fildes Peninsula is primarily controlled by human activities. The sealing industry in the early 20th century caused the dramatic decline of seal population. The protection of the Antarctic seals since the 1960s and the reduced seal’s competition with whales for prey resources due to whaling lead to the recovery of seal population and make the high level of the seal population sustainable.