Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01314:reg:2013:p3
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01314
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2013 (pt 3/24)
Character Range: 6464–9371

was thought to extend into Bass Strait. The breeding colonies in Bass Strait were likely to have been eliminated due to seal harvesting during the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
Unlike other pinnipeds that were harvested during that time, Australian sea lion populations have not recovered across their range and there is evidence in some areas that some small populations are still in decline.

While there are several possible reasons for the lack of recovery, the most likely explanation is that interactions with the commercial gillnet fishing sector have limited the species' potential for population growth. Other significant factors that may be contributing to the lack of recovery include mortality due to interactions with the rock lobster industry; deaths caused by fisheries related marine debris; habitat degradation and interactions with aquaculture operations;
human disturbance to colonies; deliberate killings; disease; pollution and oil spills; prey depletion and climate change.

This recovery plan sets out the research and management actions necessary to stop
the decline of, and support the recovery of, the Australian sea lion throughout its range.
The overarching objective of this recovery plan is to halt the decline and assist the recovery of the Australian sea lion throughout its range in Australian waters by increasing the total population size while maintaining the number and distribution of breeding colonies with
a view to:
   * improving the population status, leading to future removal of the
     Australian sea lion from the threatened species list of the EPBC Act
   * ensuring that anthropogenic activities do not hinder recovery in the near future,
     or impact on the conservation status of the species in the future.

This recovery plan should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Issues Paper
for the Australian sea lion and a more detailed Australian Sea Lion Technical Issues Paper (DEWHA, 2010), which have been developed to provide background information on the biology, population status and threats to the species. The Issues Paper and this recovery
plan are available for download from the department's website at: www.environment.gov.au/coasts/species/seals/index.html.

2 Background

2.1 Species description and breeding cycle

The Australian sea lion is the only endemic pinniped (true seals, fur seals and sea lions) in Australian waters. It is a member of the Otariidae family. Adult males and females differ in size, with males growing to about 2 m in length and weighing around 220 kg, while females reach about 1.75 m and weigh about 100 kg (McIntosh, 2007).

The birth interval in Australian sea lions is around 17–18 months. The Australian sea lion is unique among pinnipeds in being the only species that has a non-annual breeding cycle that is also temporally asynchronous across its range (Ling & Walker, 1978; Gales, et