UNEP-WCMC - Caspian Seal

GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD Restricted to the Caspian Sea, including the estuaries of rivers flowing into the Sea. The Caspian Sea is bordered by the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

CURRENT POPULATION There is currently a stable population of 500,000 to 600,000 Caspian Seals.

SIZE Average length 1.3 to 1.4m. Maximum length approximately 1.8m.

WEIGHT Adults 50 to 60kg. Maximum weight approximately 86kg.

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY Average life span of 35 years, although records of 50 year old seals have been reported. Pup mortality during lactation is about 22 per cent.

NORMAL DIET Fish form the main part of the seals diet, although crustaceans including shrimp are also taken. In the Ural River and estuary many freshwater species of fish such as Carp, Roach and Zander are eaten in large quantities.

NORMAL LIFESTYLE It has been suggested that males are monogamous. Young are born on shore fast ice.

PREVIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD As present.

REASONS FOR DECLINE Hunting, as many as 160,000 were harvested annually before 1803. The Caspian Seal has been intensively harvested for more than 200 years.

CURRENT THREATS Intensely harvesting of 60,000 to 65,000 seals annually. The quota for this species has been set at 50,000 individuals (Popov, 1982). Intensive fishing may also pose a threat by reducing the food supply and causing entanglement and incidental catch in nets. Potential degradation of the Caspian Sea ecosystem and seal habitat is a constant threat.

CONSERVATION PROJECTS Adult females are protected during the breeding season. The IUCN/SSC Seal Specialist Group recommend: an assessment of status and harvest sustainability of the seal and population surveys. Monitoring of this species includes determination of the age and sex composition of the harvest, and assessment of other factors such as pollution. The Caspian Seal is categorised as Vulnerable in the 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

SPECIAL FEATURES

REFERENCES

Frost, K.J. & Lowry, L.F. 1981. Ringed, Baikal and Caspian Seals Phoca hispida Schreber, 1775; Phoca sibirica Gmelin, 1788 and Phoca caspica Gmelin, 1788. In: S.H. Ridgway & R.J. Harrison (eds), Handbook of Marine Mammals, Vol. 2: Seals. Academic Press, London, pp.29-53.

Reeves, R.R., Stewart, B.S. & Leatherwood, S. 1992. The Sierra Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 359 pp.

Reijnders, P., Brasseur, S., van der Toorn, J., van der Wolf, P., Harwood, J., Lavigne, D. &Lowry, L. (eds). 1993. Seals, Fur Seals, Sea Lions and Walrus. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN, Gland. 88 pp.

This information has been made available with help from WWF and Chevron.

We regret that we cannot provide more general species information of this type. For further information, we suggest you browse the web or go to your local library or bookstore. You will find species information and other conservation information on the WWF web site.