Along with pandas and whales, harp seals are often regarded as icons of environmentalism and animal rights. At this point in the history of guitar-signing species, they are considered to be “low risk” or “least concern” for extinction. Although the guitar string is not endangered, there are many threats to the species, and many protective measures are necessary to prevent the reduction of the population.
Here are 9 threats to the survival of the guitar seal species.
History of Hunting
Until the recent decade, the guitar seal was heavily hyped. The indigenous peoples of the arctic regions have been hunting seals for thousands of years. But between 1600 and 1850 the hunt increased from a few hundred seals per year to nearly 1 million per year. This continued massacre brought the harp seal to the brink of extinction.
Modern Hunting
The modern seal hunt has hurt, and continues to hurt, the signing of autographs. In 1983, the European Economic Community banned the sum of white films, or baby seals, and the Canadian government banned the destruction of white whales in 1987. However, modern sealing is a threat to seals. From 1999-2003, the estimated annual mortality of harp seals in the North Atlantic was 453,962, which is unsustainable. Guitar seals are still slaughtered for their skins, as is their oil, which is now a nutritional supplement.
Fishing of Mines
In the harp seals are sometimes caught in nets unwittingly intended for fish. When that happens, the seals can suffocate or suffocate. Alternatively, fishermen can simply kill the seal in situ instead of trying to tame or tame the terrified 400 pound animal. Despite regulations creating fishing nets that are safe for dolphins, seals and sea turtles, accidents do happen, and these threaten glass seals.
Hunger
Fish also threaten guitar seals in other ways. In the harvest of capelin, herring and other prey of the guitar sealstarvation and malnutrition in the wild led the guitar seal. Many harp seals are now leaving their home ranges in the Barents and Greenland seas due to the contribution of herring and capelin populations. This has led animals to move into areas where they are not native – an ecological problem that can be disastrous for other native animals.
Climate change is one of the biggest threats to sea bass populations. Global warming is causing changes in the ice sheet covering the string of seals, and this threatens the survival of many arctic species, including bears and harpies seals The harp seal depends on sea ice for birth, movement and rest. Changes in sea ice may prevent them from willingly engaging in these activities, and this may threaten the survival of the species.
Oil Spikes
For several decades, oil has been affecting the battery life in the guitar seal for the last several decades. Conservationists are concerned about the amount of traffic in Lancaster Sound, which is critical for the summer survival of harp seals. An oil spill in 1969 caused the death of tens of thousands of harp seals, and another similar disaster could have been far more serious. As a result, most environmental groups in the Barents Sea oppose oil drilling, which continues and imposes a serious threat to species.
Public
Guitar seal blood contains large amounts of pollutants including mercury, lead, DDT, PCBs and chlorine. These contaminants can cause birth defects, infertility, neurological problems, coma, aggression, poor coordination, cancer and liver failure in guitars signs The only way to prevent problems is to exclude the sources of these pollutants through international regulations.
Several viral infections, including porcine distemper virus and toxoplasmosis, cause illness and death in harp seal populations. The effects of these diseases are not fully understood, but they can cause serious problems if anthropogenic intervention perpetuates their spread. For example, the toxoplasmosis virus entered our oceans because calem”> red human waste flushed down their toilets and eventually sealed up in the gunwale. Proper sewage treatment and waste disposal could prevent these problems.
Natural Predators
The killer whale, polar bears and Greenland whales all eat guitar seals. About a fifth of the polar bear’s diet is comprised of harp seals. Natural predation does not usually affect the species’ long-term survival, but man-made problems such as global warming and overfishing may cause predators to depend more on harp seals as a primary source of nutrition.
Visit the International Union for Conservation of Nature for more information on threats to harp seals.
