Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01314:reg:2013:p7
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01314
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2013 (pt 7/24)
Character Range: 16790–19754

(DEWHA, 2010). The beginning of the period of population growth at Dangerous Reef coincided with the 2001 introduction of restrictions on demersal gillnetting in the Spencer Gulf region, a key foraging ground for this colony.

3 Conservation
Status

The Australian sea lion was listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act on 14 February 2005, as a threatened species and protected under the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 in 2008, and as 'specially protected fauna' under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 — Wildlife Conservation (Specially Protected) Fauna Notice 2003. Internationally, the Australian sea lion was listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List in 2008. These listings used different criteria to assess the species, which is endemic to Australia.

4 Reasons for Listing under the EPBC Act

The current listing of the Australian sea lion as vulnerable under the EPBC Act is based on advice from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) that the species meets
both Criterion 1 — the species has undergone, is suspected to have undergone or is likely
to undergo in the immediate future a substantial reduction in numbers; and Criterion 3 —
the estimated total number of mature individuals is limited and evidence suggests
that the number will continue to decline at a substantial rate. The conservation
assessment made by the TSSC is available on the department's website at: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/neophoca-cinerea.html.

The listing of the Australian sea lion as vulnerable under the EPBC Act was based on
declining population trends, the life history characteristics of the species and the fact that the species was still under pressure from some sectors of the Australian commercial and recreational fishing industries at the time of listing. The Australian sea lion population
underwent a massive decline in numbers caused by seal harvesting. At the time of listing
the population appeared to have stabilised, although it had not recovered to its former abundance or range. While determining population trends in the Australian sea lion is difficult, the rates of mortality caused by interactions with humans (e.g. interactions with fisheries and entanglement in marine debris), combined with the species' naturally poor recovery abilities, indicated that the species may experience further reduction in numbers (TSSC, 2005).

5 Threats

Historically, the main threat to the Australian sea lion was over-harvest due to commercial hunting. Although this activity no longer occurs, populations have not recovered to pre-exploitation levels. A range of anthropogenic factors have been identified which may be impacting on the recovery of the Australian sea lion. The cumulative impact of many of these threats varies across the range of the species, with some threats having more prominence in certain areas.

The principal threats to the Australian sea lion are