Northern Fur Seals
Northern Fur Seals in Alaska
Quick Links:
Conservation Plan | Petition | Co-Management | Subsistence Harvest | Analyses | Research
Conservation Plan | Petition | Co-Management | Subsistence Harvest | Analyses | Research
Conservation Plan
- Conservation plan for the Eastern Pacific stock of northern fur seal, December 2007
- 72 FR 73766, December 28, 2007. Notice of Availability of Final Eastern Pacific Northern Fur Seal Stock Conservation Plan
- Related Documents
- Draft Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus), May 2006
- 71 FR 32306, June 5, 2006. Notice of Availability for the Draft Conservation Plan. Comment period through August 4, 2006.
- Conservation Plan for the Northern Fur Seal, 1993 (11 MB)
- 53 FR 17888, May 18, 1988. Final rule designating the Pribilof Island population of North Pacific fur seals as depleted under the MMPA.
Management Analyses
- Biological Opinion on Activities Authorized on Steller Sea Lions and Northern Fur Seals, June 2007
- Final Programmatic EIS for Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal Research, May 2007
- Final Environmental Impact Statement - Setting the Annual Subsistence Harvest of Northern Fur Seals on the Pribilof Islands, May 2005
- Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Pribilof Islands Annual
Subsistence Harvest of Northern
Fur Seals to determine and
publish the Take Ranges, August
2004
- 69 FR 53915, September 3, 2004. Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS.
- 68 FR 36539, June 18, 2003. Notice of Intent to analyze the effects of the subsistence taking of northern fur seals on the Pribilof Islands.
Petition
- Notice of a public meeting May 24, 2011 at the Anchorage Marriott about the requested changes to the Northern Fur Seal Harvest Regulations that govern the subsistence harvest of northern fur seals on St. George Island. The Aleut Community of St. George Island, Traditional Council petitioned NMFS to authorize the subsistence harvest of 150 male northern fur seal pups annually. NMFS is reviewing alternatives. Comment period through June 24, 2011.
- 75 FR 21233, April 23, 2010. Notice of a petition from the Pribilof Island Community of St. George Island, Traditional Council to revise regulations governing the subsistence taking of northern fur seals to allow residents of St. George Island to take male fur seal young of the year during the fall. Public comment period through June 22, 2010.
- St. George Island Traditional Council Resolution 10-06, September 2006
Co-Management

Northern fur seals on Bogoslof Island. Photo: Michael Williams, permit #782-1708, NOAA Fisheries
Agreements
- Agreement Between the Aleut Community of St. George Island and NMFS, 2001
- Agreement Between the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island and NMFS, 2000
Subsistence Harvest of Northern Fur Seals - Reports
- St. George Island: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
- St. Paul Island: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000
Subsistence Harvest Estimates
- 77 FR 6682, February 9, 2012. Final estimates for fur seal subsistence needs for 2011 through 2013, and the annual fur seal subsistence harvest numbers for St. George and St. Paul Islands for 2008 to 2010. Effective March 12, 2012.
- 76 FR 45499, July 29, 2011. Notice of availability for the annual fur seal subsistence harvest summaries for 2008 to 2010 and proposed annual estimates of fur seal subsistence needs for 2011 through 2013 on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Public comment period through August 29, 2011.
- 75 FR 21243, April 23, 2010. Notice of the receipt of a petition from the Pribilof Island Community of St. George Island, Traditional Council to revise regulations governing the subsistence taking of northern fur seals to allow residents of St. George Island to take male fur seal young of the year during the fall. Public comment period through June 22, 2010.
- 73 FR 49616, August 22, 2008. Notice of annual fur seal subsistence harvests on St. George and St. Paul Islands for 2005 to 2007, and the annual estimates for the fur seal subsistence needs for 2008 through 2010. Effective September 22, 2008.
- 73 FR 31666, June 3, 2008. Summary of the annual fur seal subsistence harvests on the Pribilof Islands for 2005 to 2007, and proposed annual estimates of fur seal subsistence needs for 2008 through 2010 on the Pribilof Islands. Comment period through July 3, 2008.
- 71 FR 8222, February 16, 2006. Notice of final fur seal harvest estimates on St. George and St. Paul Islands (the Pribilof Islands) for 2002 to 2004, and the annual estimates for the fur seal subsistence needs from 2005 through 2007.
- 70 FR 41187, July 18, 2005. Notice of Availability of the Pribilof Islands annual fur seal subsistence harvests for 2002 to 2004, and the proposed annual estimates of fur seal subsistence needs for 2005 through 2007. Comment period through September 17, 2005.
- Proposed annual estimates of northern fur seal subsistence needs on the Pribilof Islands: 2000 - 2002
Research

Sub-adult male northern fur seal on Bogoslof Island. Photo: Michael Williams, permit #782-1708, NOAA Fisheries
- Fur Seal Disentanglement Project, Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, Tribal Government, Ecosystem Conservation Office (External Link)
Preventing Invasives
- Stop Rats in Alaska (External Link)
Research
- National Marine Mammal Laboratory Fur Seal Research
- Quarterly (research) Reports
- Using Traditional Knowledge and Archived Documents to Aid Research and Conservation Goals for the Northern Fur Seal (July-Sept 2011)
- Northern Fur Seal Research in 2010 (July-Sept 2010)
- Probabilistic Modeling of Northern Fur Seal Movement (Jan-Mar 2010)
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Northern Fur Seal Telomeres (Apr-June 2010)
- Northern Fur Seal Pup Production and Adult Male Counts on the Pribilof Islands: 2010, 2009 (adult male only), 2008, 2007 (adult male only)
- Fur seal investigations: 2004-2005, 2002-2003, 2000-2001, 1999, 1998, 1997
- Distribution and Breeding Sites
- Estimating Abundance
- Entanglement in Marine Debris
- Fur Seal Bibliography Database
- Northern Fur Seal Bibliography
- Quarterly (research) Reports
- 75 FR 21233, April 23, 2010. Notice that NMFS issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization to NMFS, Alaska Region for the take of small numbers of marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to conducting replacement and repair of northern fur seal research observation towers and walkways on St. Paul Island, Alaska, from April to June and December 2010.
- 90 Day Report: Marine mammal monitoring of the replacement and repair of fur seal research observation towers and walkways on St. Paul Island, Alaska, February 2011