Antarctic fur seals are facing a drop in numbers due to lack of food A ban on hunting fur seals has allowed the species to recover from near extinction – but now numbers are dwindling due to lack of food, scientists claim. A study of Antarctic fur seals shows that numbers peaked in 2009, but have been declining since. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey think that global warming is raising ocean temperatures and killing their main food source, krill.
’ Antarctic fur seals rely on krill in the surrounding seas for food The species had done well, with strong conservation protections, plenty of food and fast breeding making it recover much more quickly than other previously hunted species in the region such as humpback whales. However, re-examination of the data shows their numbers had been massively overestimated at up to 6.2 million. ‘Our new results show this was a massive overestimation,’ said Dr Forcad.