Editing Pinniped (section)

==Conservation issues==
[[File:Weaned harp seal pup.jpg|thumb|right|Harp seal pup. This ice-living species is vulnerable to the effects of climate change]]
As of 2021, the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) recognizes 36 pinniped species. With the Japanese sea lion and the Caribbean monk seal recently extinct, ten more are considered at risk. They are ranked as:<ref>{{cite web |title=Taxonomy search: Phocidae, Otarridae, Odobenidae |publisher=IUCN |url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/search |work=The IUCN Red List of Threatened species |id=2013.1 |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref>

*"[[Endangered species|Endangered]]": Hawaiian monk seal, Mediterranean monk seal, Galápagos fur seal, Australian sea lion, New Zealand sea lion, Caspian seal, and Galápagos sea lion.
*"[[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]]": northern fur seal, hooded seal, and walrus.

Pinnipeds face various threats. They are unintentionally caught in [[fishing net]]s by [[commercial fisheries]] and accidentally swallow fishing hooks. [[Gillnetting]] and [[Seine fishing|Seine netting]] is a significant cause of mortality in seals and other marine mammals. Species commonly entangled include California sea lions, [[Hawaiian monk seal]]s, northern fur seals and brown fur seals.{{sfn|Riedman|1990|p=115}} Pinnipeds are also affected by [[marine pollution]]. [[Persistent organic pollutant|Organic chemical]]s tend to accumulate in these animals since they are high in the [[food chain]] and have large reserves of blubber. Lactating mothers can pass the toxins on to their young. These pollutants can cause [[gastrointestinal cancer]]s, and decreased fertility and immunity to infectious diseases.<ref>{{cite web |author=Metchalfe, C. |date=23 February 2012 |title=Persistent organic pollutants in the marine food chain |publisher=United Nations University |url=http://unu.edu/publications/articles/persistent-organic-pollutants-in-the-marine-food-chain.html |access-date=16 August 2013 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022142022/https://unu.edu/publications/articles/persistent-organic-pollutants-in-the-marine-food-chain.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other man-made threats include [[habitat destruction]] by oil and gas exploitation, encroachment by boats,{{sfn|Riedman|1990|p=115}} and underwater noise.{{sfn|Berta|2012|p=161}}

[[File:Depka.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Grey seal]] on beach occupied by humans near [[Niechorze]], Poland. Pinnipeds and humans may compete for space and resources.]]
Species that live in polar habitats are vulnerable to the [[effects of climate change on oceans]], particularly [[Arctic sea ice decline|declines in sea ice]].<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Laidre, K. L. |author2=Stirling, I. |author3=Lowry, L. F. |author4=Wiig, Ø. |author5=Heide-Jørgensen, M. P. |author6=Ferguson, S.H. |year=2008 |title=Quantifying the sensitivity of Arctic marine mammals to climate-induced habitat change |journal=Ecological Applications |volume=18 |issue=2 Suppl |pages=S97–S125 |doi=10.1890/06-0546.1 |pmid=18494365 |bibcode=2008EcoAp..18S..97L |doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2010 and 2011, sea ice in the Northwest Atlantic was at or near an all-time low and harp seals as well as ringed seals that bred on thin ice saw increased death rates.<ref name="Stenson">{{Cite journal |last1=Stenson |first1=G. B. |last2=Hammill |first2=M. O. |date=2014 |title=Can ice breeding seals adapt to habitat loss in a time of climate change? |url=https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/71/7/1977/2804452 |journal=ICES Journal of Marine Science |language=en |volume=71 |issue=7 |pages=1977–1986 |doi=10.1093/icesjms/fsu074 |issn=1054-3139|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ferguson |first1=Steven H. |last2=Young |first2=Brent G. |last3=Yurkowski |first3=David J. |last4=Anderson |first4=Randi |last5=Willing |first5=Cornelia |last6=Nielsen |first6=Ole |date=2017 |title=Demographic, ecological, and physiological responses of ringed seals to an abrupt decline in sea ice availability |journal=PeerJ |language=en |volume=5 |pages=e2957 |doi=10.7717/peerj.2957 |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=5292026 |pmid=28168119 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In the Antarctic, the decreased duration and extent of the sea ice and nutrient availability could potentially reduce the survival of Weddell seal pups and may have important implications for population [[Growth rate (group theory)|growth rates]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Garrott RA, Rotella JJ, Siniff DB, Parkinson CL, Stauffer GE |year= 2012|title=Environmental variation and cohort effects in an Antarctic predator |journal= Oikos|volume= 121|issue= 7|pages= 1027–1040 |doi= 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19673.x|bibcode= 2012Oikos.121.1027G|hdl= 2060/20110022991|s2cid= 42629887|hdl-access= free}}</ref>  Antarctic fur seals in [[South Georgia]] in the [[South Atlantic]] saw major decreases over a 20-year study, during which scientists measured increased [[sea surface temperature]] anomalies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Forcada |first1=Jaume |last2=Trathan |first2=P. N. |last3=Reid |first3=K. |last4=Murphy |first4=E. J. |date=2005 |title=The Effects of Global Climate Variability in Pup Production of Antarctic Fur Seals |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3451030 |journal=Ecology |volume=86 |issue=9 |pages=2408–2417 |doi=10.1890/04-1153 |jstor=3451030 |bibcode=2005Ecol...86.2408F |issn=0012-9658}}</ref>

Some species have become so numerous that they conflict with local people. In the United States, pinnipeds are protected under the [[Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972]] (MMPA). Since that year, California sea lion populations have risen to 250,000. These animals began exploiting more man-made environments, like docks, for haul-out sites. Many docks are not designed to withstand the weight of several resting sea lions. Wildlife managers have used various methods to control the animals, and some city officials have redesigned docks so they can better resist sea lion use.<ref>{{cite web |author=French, C. |date=10 April 2013 |title=Sea lions take over Ventura docks |publisher=the Log.com |access-date=17 August 2013 |url=http://www.thelog.com/Local/Article/Sea-Lions-Take-Over-Ventura-Docks}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Bruscas, A. |date=27 July 2012 |title=Shocking new idea for sea lion control |publisher=The Daily World |access-date=17 August 2013 |url=http://thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/shocking-new-idea-sea-lion-control.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054643/http://thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/shocking-new-idea-sea-lion-control.html |archive-date=21 September 2013 }}</ref> Inland-living New Zealand sea lions face unique human conflicts such as road mortality and run-ins with human infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Frans|first1=Veronica F.|last2=Augé|first2=Amélie A.|last3=Fyfe|first3=Jim|last4=Zhang|first4=Yuqian|last5=McNally|first5=Nathan|last6=Edelhoff|first6=Hendrik|last7=Balkenhol|first7=Niko|last8=Engler|first8=Jan O.|title=Integrated SDM database: Enhancing the relevance and utility of species distribution models in conservation management|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/2041-210X.13736|journal=Methods in Ecology and Evolution|year=2022|volume=13|issue=1 |pages=243–261|language=en|doi=10.1111/2041-210X.13736|bibcode=2022MEcEv..13..243F |s2cid=243893898|issn=2041-210X}}</ref> Seals also conflict with fisheries; a 2024 [[metastudy]] found that globally pinnipeds affected over 33 percent of fishing days and stole over 13 percent of catches.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jackson|first1=J|last2=Arlidge|first2=W. N. S.|last3=Oyanedel|first3=R|last4=Davis|first4=K. J.|year=2024|title=The global extent and severity of operational interactions between conflicting pinnipeds and fisheries|journal=Nature Communications|volume=5|page=7449|doi=10.1038/s41467-024-51298-6|hdl=10261/367607|hdl-access=free}}</ref> In 2007, MMPA was amended to permit the lethal removal of sea lions from [[salmon run]]s at [[Bonneville Dam]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act |publisher=Northwest Regional Office, [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |date=26 July 2012 |access-date=9 June 2012 |url=http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Seals-and-Sea-Lions/Predation-Prevention-Act.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015032916/http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Seals-and-Sea-Lions/Predation-Prevention-Act.cfm |archive-date=15 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 1980s and 1990s, South African politicians and fishermen demanded that brown fur seals be [[cull]]ed, believing that the animals competed with commercial fisheries. Scientific studies found that culling fur seals would actually have a negative effect on the fishing industry, and the culling option was dropped in 1993.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lavigne, D. |contribution=Marine mammals and fisheries: The role of science in the culling debate |page=41 |year=2003 |title=Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management Issues: Fisheries, Tourism and Management |editor1=Gales, N. |editor2=Hindell, M. |editor3=Kirkwood, R. |publisher=Csiro Publishing |isbn=978-0-643-06953-4}}</ref>