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at Seal Island. No counts of pups have been made at either
island.
Conservation status: The islands fall within NIMPA so ac-
tivities are restricted and controlled.
Ecotourism: None currently, but boat-based tourism is al-
lowed within 10 m of the shore, as stipulated in the NIMPA
report (Currie et al. 2009; Ludynia et al. 2012 ).
Harvesting status: There is no harvesting of seals.
Long Islands (North and South) Coordinates: 26.82 S;
15.12 E
Description: Two long, rocky islands in the immediate
vicinity of Wolf (North Long Island) and Atlas (South
Long Island) bays, with a high concentration of fur seals.
Conservation status: The rocks fall within NIMPA and
have restricted access (Currie et al. 2009, Ludynia et al.
An aerial view of Staple Rock, 2020 (photo MFMR) 2012).
Ecotourism: None currently, but with potential for both
Boat Bay Rocks land- and boat-based tourism. However, boat-based tour-
Coordinates: 26.42 S; 15.09 E ism is only allowed at least 30 m away from the island
Description: Rocky islands located within Boat Bay. in order to avoid disturbance of seals (Currie et al. 2009).
Conservation status: The rocks fall within NIMPA and Harvesting status: Harvesting of seals on the Long Is-
have restricted access (Currie et al. 2009, Ludynia et al. lands dates back to 1854 and continued for several years
2012). There is no harvesting of seals. from about 1873 (Shaughnessy 1984). A concession to har-
Ecotourism: None currently. vest seals at Long Islands was first granted in 1974 (after
a harvest in 1973), with an allocated annual quota of 1,500
Dumfudgeon Rock yearlings and 400 adults (Shaughnessy 1978), which was
Coordinates: 26.48 S; 15.12 E exceeded. There is currently no commercial harvesting of
Description: A rocky island south of Little Boat Bay. seals at this colony. Numbers of seals (including pups, bulls
Conservation status: The rocks fall within NIMPA and and animals of an undisclosed age) that were harvested at
have restricted access (Currie et al. 2009, Ludynia et al. Long Islands are shown below.
2012). There is no harvesting of seals. Year No. harvested
Ecotourism: None currently.
1897 1,718
Seal and Penguin islands 1900 1,849
Coordinates: Seal 26.596 S; 15.154 E; Penguin 26.614 1902 1,913
S; 15.154 E 1903 2,626
Description: These are two steep, rocky islands in the im- 1904 2,319
mediate vicinity of Lüderitz Bay that fall within the limits 1905 1,354
of Lüderitz port. Excavations undertaken by South Africa’s
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment 1906 2,113
(DFFE) showed that seals formerly bred at both islands 1907 850
(DFFE unpublished information). In 2021, seals only bred Shaughnessy (1984)
Year No. harvested
1973 1,543
1974 3,740
1975 5,282
1976 3,831
Shaughnessy (1978)
An aerial view of Dumfudgeon Rock, 2020 (photo MFMR) An aerial view of North Long Island, 2020 (photo MEFT)
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