Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Climate change
    Climate change Driving climate action, science and innovation so we are ready for the future.
    • Climate science and adaptation
    • Australia's climate change strategies
    • Emissions reduction
    • Emissions reporting
    • International commitments
    • Climate Active
    • Climate change publications and data
    • Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts (Emissions Data)
    Stronger action on climate change

    Stronger action on climate change

    See how the Australian Government is committed to taking more ambitious action on climate change.

    Find out more

  • Energy
    Energy Building a secure and sustainable energy system for all Australians.
    • Energy policy in Australia
    • Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council
    • Renewable energy
    • Energy publications
    • energy.gov.au
    • Energy Rating
    • Commercial Building Disclosure Program
    • Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
    • Your Home
    Decorative image

    Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme

    Guiding energy-efficient design and construction for a net-zero future

    Find out more about NatHERS

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • Biodiversity
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Invasive species
    • Land
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
    • Wildlife trade
    Decorative image

    Read our Nature Positive Plan

    Our plan sets out the Australian Government’s commitment to environmental law reform

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water supply for industry, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Office of the Science Convenor
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Our climate is changing

    Our climate is changing

    Find out more about how climate science helps Australians with the impacts of climate change.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We lead Australia’s response to climate change and sustainable energy use, and protect our environment, heritage and water.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • People and jobs
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Decorative image

    Juukan Gorge response

    Read the Australian Government's response to the destruction at Juukan Gorge and the recommendations

    Read the response

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Environment
  3. Marine
  4. Marine species conservation
  5. Seals and sea lions

Sidebar first - EN - Marine

  • Marine species
    • Cetaceans
      • Australian Whale Sanctuary
      • International
      • Legislation
      • Research permits
        • Invitation to comment
      • Science and Research
      • Species found in Australian waters
      • Whale and dolphin rescue
      • Whale and dolphin watching
      • Whale conservation
      • For teachers and students
      • For industry
    • Dugongs
    • Marine turtles
      • Flatback turtle (Natator depressus)
      • Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
      • Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
      • Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
      • Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
      • Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
    • Seals and sea lions
    • Sharks
      • Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus)
      • Hammerhead sharks
      • River sharks
      • Sawfish
      • Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
      • White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
    • Biologically important areas
    • Reducing bycatch

Seals and sea lions

 Mike Preece, CSIRO, Noel Carmichael, Allan Fox

Seals and sea lions Photo: Mike Preece, CSIRO, Noel Carmichael, Allan Fox

10 species of seals and sea lions occur in Australian waters. Of these, three are commonly found in southern Australian waters and the remainder occur in Australia's Antarctic Territory.

Many seal and sea lion populations declined significantly in the 18th and 19th Centuries due to indiscriminate harvesting and, although most populations have recovered, some remain at low levels. Current threats to seals and sea lions in Australian waters include interactions with commercial fishing operations and exposure to harmful marine debris.

Three species of seal and sea lion are currently listed as threatened by the Australian Government.

Government action

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Under the EPBC Act all seals and sea lions occurring within Australian waters are listed as marine species (EPBC Act 1999; section 248). It is an offence to kill, injure, take, trade, keep, or move any member of a listed marine species on Australian Government land or in Commonwealth waters without a permit.

Where these animals occur in state jurisdictions relevant state legislation applies.

Threatened status

Three species of seal are also listed under the EPBC Act as Vulnerable (section 178), which provides additional protection. These species are:

  • the sub-Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis)
  • the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) and
  • the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea).

Besides a range of protective measures also afforded to marine species (see above), the EPBC Act requires that any action that has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on a threatened species must be referred to the Department of the Environment for assessment before the action goes ahead.

Recovery plan

Under the threatened species legislation, listed threatened species can have a recovery plan made in order to guide actions to help the species recover. Of the three listed seals in Australian waters, the Australian sea lion has a recovery plan.

  • Recovery Plan for the Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea) - 2013

Antarctic Treaty

Seals located south of 60°S are protected under the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980 and associated conventions including the Seals Convention.

  • More about seal protection under the Antarctic Treaty 

Of the seal species found in Australian waters, only the Australian sea lion and the Australian and New Zealand fur seals occur on the Australian mainland and in Tasmanian waters. The others, including the threatened leopard seal and southern elephant seal are found in Australia's Antarctic Territories.

Seals found in Australian Waters

Seals, sea lions and walruses are marine mammals and belong to the order pinnipedia. There are 33 species of pinnipeds, divided into three families. The family otariidae contains 14 species, including the fur seals and sea lions. Otariid species are typically more upright when on land, and can move with reasonable agility. The family phocidae is made up of the 'true seals' and contains species such as the leopard seal and the southern elephant seal. Unable to 'walk' on land like the otariids, the phocidae move in a lunging caterpillar-like motion. The third family, odobenidae, contains only the walrus.

Species regularly recorded in Australian waters
Family Common name Scientific name
Otariidae Australian sea lion Neophoca cinerea
New Zealand fur seal Arctocephalus forsteri
Australian fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus
Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella
Sub-Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis
Phocidae Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina
Leopard seal Hydrurga leptonyx
Crab-eater seal Lobodon carcinophagus
Weddell seal Leptonychotes weddellii
Ross seal Ommatophoca rossii

Breeding sites

The Australian sea lion, New Zealand fur seal and Australian fur seal breed on the southern Australian coastline and its near shore islands. The remaining species breed on Antarctic pack-ice or sub-Antarctic Australian territories, and occasionally haul out on southern Australian beaches or reefs.

Seals breed on land or on ice, with peak mating and pupping taking place in the summer months for most species. However, the Australian sea lion is something of an exception as it has a 18 month asynchronous breeding cycle, meaning that it can pup in any month of the year and that month changes over time. Seal pups usually become independent from their mothers at ages varying from 10 weeks to about a year and a half for Australian sea lions.

Diet

Diet differs between species but usually includes squid and fish and, for Antarctic species, krill. Some seals, like the leopard seal, are known to eat seabirds such as penguins, and even other seals.

Threatening processes

Seals were hunted in Australia in the last century for their meat, oil and fur. By 1820, seal populations had been reduced to remnants. Some breeding colonies, such as the Australian sea lion colonies in Bass Strait, were completely destroyed. Today, all seals are protected in Australian waters and populations of some species are recovering from this over-harvesting.

However, some species of seal remain threatened by human activities, particularly from interactions with commercial fishing operations and entanglement with fishing gear and other debris. Other potential threats include a reduction in food supply; human disturbance; oil spills and chemical contaminants and disease. Seismic survey activity and climate change may also impact on seals, although little is known about the effects of these at this time.

Where to see seals

There are many places along the coastline of southern Australia where seals can be seen in the wild. Visitors must take a great deal of care not to disturb seals as this may interfere with their efforts to feed their young. Some seals can also move quickly overland and may bite if harassed. Some of the best places where organised viewing of seals takes place include Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, Montague Island on the New South Wales South Coast, Seal Rocks in Victoria, various places in Tasmania and on accessible islands around Perth and Albany in Western Australia.

Resources

Books & reports

  • Recovery Plan for the Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea) - 2013
  • Australian sea lion monitoring framework: background document - 2018
  • Australian sea lion monitoring framework: statistical model - 2016

Links

  • Seals - Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water
  • Seals and sea lions - Australian Antarctic Division
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 15 October 2021

© Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.