A new record this century of a breeding colony in the north island for the new zealand fur seal arctocephalus forsteri

Abstract

The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalusforsteri) barely escaped extinction in the 19th century. Breeding colonies were restricted to the southern coasts of the South Island and the sub-antarctic islands of New Zealand. Late in 1991, a new rookery was discovered at Cape Palliser on the southern coast of the North Island, the first North Island record this century. In 1992 reports were received of seals pupping at the Sugarloaf Islands near New Plymouth. These two new records of fur seals breeding in the North Island indicate that the species is recovering after exploitation and beginning to re-occupy some of its former breeding range. © Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.