Small breeding colonies of Sub-antarctic Fur Seals occur on Macquarie Island. The once large and expansive indigenous population was exterminated from Macquarie Island by the early 19th century by sealers. The species has only slowly begun to recover through recolonisation from natural immigration from other colonies further west around Marion Island and South Georgia. They favour the rocky coasts and rock platforms around the island, especially to the north of the isthmus. The species eats mainly krill (small crustaceans), fish, squid and occasionally penguins. The species also occurs on Heard Island. Threats are from deliberate persecution and hunting, entanglement in fishing gear, marine pollution including oil, chemicals and plastics, disturbance to breeding colonies and depletion of food stocks due to unsustainable commercial fishing.
Source; Bryant, S. L. and Jackson, J. (1999). Tasmania’s Threatened Fauna Handbook. Threatened Species Unit, Parks and Wildlife Service, Hobart.
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