Steller sea lions : Present status of studies of migratory ecology, and conflict between fisheries and conservation in Japan

概要

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Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) occur around Hokkaido Island, Japan, and are mixing there with migratory groups came from the Kuril Islands and small islands around Sakhalin Island during October through May and numerous studies have been published on their ecology while in Japanese waters. While the sea lions are in Japanese coastal waters they commonly inflict serious damage to local fisheries, and since 1961, the Hokkaido regional government financially supported their removal to lessen the damage to fisheries. Total number, 22, 481 of the animals were eliminated around Hokkaido, and were main reason for drastic decline of the Kuril Islands population from 20, 000 in the 1960s to 4, 000 in the 1990s. This animal elimination did not contribute to lessen fisheries damage because a conflict between fisheries and the animal feeding came from over-fishing of fisheries resources. The world-wide Steller sea lion population is declining rapidly, resulting in Russia and the United States implementing numerous legal regulations for their conservation. In this review, I discuss the damage to fisheries caused by Steller sea lions in Japan and then introduce some conservation efforts for Steller sea lions in Japan.
野生生物保護学会の論文