Rise in poaching of spotted seals poses threat to maritime ecosystem

Biodiversity threat

Covered with downy fur, spotted seals are nicknamed "sea dogs" or "sea pandas" by the fishermen around Changxing Island.

As spotted seals are often the apex predators in many of their aquatic habitats, a minor fluctuation in their number could have a huge impact on the entire biological chain.

Song Junhua, deputy director of a committee at the China Society for Environmental Sciences that assesses environmental damage, said the decline in the number of spotted seals in Liaodong Bay has resulted in a population boom among their natural prey. That, in turn, has led to the decimation of the species on which that prey feeds, such as shellfish and fish.

"At present, the diversity of biological resources, such as shellfish and fish, in the coastal wetland near the seal reproduction base, has declined severely, which has made the biological chain very fragile," she said.

Moreover, the fragile ecological environment has resulted in far lower densities of various fish species in the area, which could prompt the seals to move to other areas to breed. That would damage the local environment and have a serious impact on biodiversity, she added.

Ma Yong, director of the legal committee at the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, said the problem is exacerbated by weak wildlife protection in terms of law enforcement.

He said a strict approval process should be established throughout the entire breeding and domestication chain for marine mammals in aquariums, and the procedures should be open to scrutiny.

"Currently, it's hard for us to get an exact list of facilities that have applied for permits for breeding and for treating rescued marine mammals, which has greatly increased the difficulties in wildlife protection," he said.

Ma called for stronger environmental public interest laws to safeguard the species involved, and said a large nature reserve protection area should be established in Dalian, which would allow more volunteers to participate in the protection of wild animals.

Tian Zhiwei, who rescued Gousheng, the spotted seal pup, echoed Zhou's sentiments. He said his primary objective is to help protect more species with the aim of providing a better habitat for the next generation.

Zhou, the biodiversity foundation's secretary-general, said the status of spotted seals should be upgraded immediately to attract more attention to their plight, but the ultimate goal is to find a better way for people to coexist with marine mammals.