Protecting the New Zealand Sea Lion Application #2
Section 1: The endangered species.
The New Zealand Sea Lion are similar to seals but they pend more time on land. They are found near the Auckland and Campbell islands and to some extent around the coast of New Zealand's South and Stewart islands. On the food chain the New Zealand Sea Lion is a consumer that eat a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate prey. Frequently eaten species include opal fish, Munida, hoki, oblique-banded rattail, salps, octopus, squid, and crustaceans. Predators of the New Zealand Sea Lion include adult male sea lions and Great white sharks. They bread in colonies on beaches during the winter months. One a pup is born mother's are said to being them inland while they forage for food in the ocean to prevent hookworm and to keep away from the males fighting for territory. According to the IUCN Redlist there are only 3031 mature individuals still alive and that population is continually decreasing.
New Zealand Sea Lion Pup by Katja Schulz
Section 2: The habitat.
The New Zealand Sea Lion inhabits the sandy beaches of southern New Zealand. The Sea Lions inhabit this area because it is close to their food source and it being easily accessible to find a mate. The tides are ever-changing the beaches. Every year more beach is lost due to rising ocean levels. The major biome these animals live in is the ocean. Most of the word is covered in ocean however these animals occupy such a small area of it off the coast of New Zealand. Abiotic factors are any nonliving part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. Examples of Abiotic factors in the ocean include sunlight, nutrient availability, Temperature, and water currents. On the other hand, Biotic factors are any living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. Examples of Biotic factors in the ocean include: kelp, seaweed, algae (Primary producers) Zooplankton, small fish, Lobster (Primary consumers) Baleen Whale, Bull shark (Top of the food chain consumers). Both factors are equally important as they make up ecosystems as a whole. New Zealand Sea Lions are towards the top of the food chain but are still food for Great White Sharks. To protect the habitat of these animals there is currently a no fishing zone around the islands but little has been done to actually protect these animals home.
Stewart Island by AlasdairW
Section 3. A critical threat.
A increasing threat to New Zealand Sea Lions is commercial fishing. According to Project Jonah, " The squid fishery trawls in the same area as the main breeding population, and each year NZ sea lions are captured and killed...meaning that the majority of females killed by the trawl nets around the Auckland Islands will have a dependent pup on shore" The pups left on shore have a lower chance of making it to their adulthood without their mothers. This is not the only species effected by commercial fishing according to the WWF, "Pacific bluefin tuna are heavily overfished, and the Atlantic bigeye and the Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna are experiencing overfishing with increased catch levels in recent years." We eat fish but sea lions are being killed in the process. Although neither of these species are the target of commercial fishing they are still being killed in the process. According to Queensland the target species of commercial fishing in the area include "Coral Trout, at about 35% of total line catch, Spanish Mackerel, at about 20% and Read Throat Emperor, at about 15%" Not enough has been done to protect animals such as the New Zealand Sea Lion and Yellowfin Tuna which are only some of the many species killed because of the overuse of commercial fishing around the world.
Although these endangered species are not close to home in Keene, what we eat is directly associated with overfishing. Sushi is really big on campus, theres a whole section in Lloyds Marketplace that includes tuna rolls, salmon rolls and a variety of others. As we know many tuna species are being overfished as a result of commercial fishing. As stated by WWF, "Population declines have been largely driven by the demand for this fish in high-end sushi markets." Most people don't think twice about what they buy and its affects around the world. Our habits in Keene like buying sushi encourage companies to continue to overfish the oceans. People in Keene benefit from commercial fishing because it makes food like sushi available to people who are not near the ocean. We are supplied by commercial fisheries only because we demand these different types of fish. To decease the rate at which these animals are fished we should limit the amount of fish we buy and consume because without demand these companies will not fish so aggressively.
Photo of sushi by Addictive Stock
Comments
Post a Comment