Sea lions and fur seals face welfare threats from entanglement in fishing gear, hunting, pollution and changing prey availability driven by climate and overfishing.
Commercial seal culling in Namibia involves clubbing and shooting of pups — the welfare harms are acute and severe. Entanglement in fishing nets causes drowning in animals that dive voluntarily and panic when prevented from surfacing. Climate change causing prey depletion forces nursing sea lion mothers to forage further, returning to find starving pups they cannot adequately feed. The cumulative welfare impact of predation, disease, entanglement and food depletion on pinniped populations is substantial.