Page 306 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

Guano operations ceased in 1963 when staff were with-
drawn from the island (Shelton et al. 1984). Seals recently
recolonised the island following years of exclusion from it
(Seakamela et al. 2016). Thirteen seals were spotted in
1991, over 1,000 seals were recorded in 2003 and 10 pups
were seen in 2004. The colony has since grown rapidly
and is now the second largest in South Africa in terms of
pup production, after Kleinsee. An average of 20,688 pups
were counted on four surveys conducted between 2011
and 2020.
Conservation status: The island was declared a Provin-
cial Nature Reserve in terms of Section 6 the Nature Con-
servation Ordinance, 1974 (Official Gazette 4524, 1988).
An aerial view of the Jutten Island seal colony It is managed by Cape Nature with access restricted to re-
15. Jutten Island search activities under a permit.
Coordinates: 33.075 S; 17.952 E Eco-tourism: No tourism is happening.
Status: Limited breeding. Harvesting status: There were futile attempts to harvest
Description: This small colony is situated on an outcrop seals at this island between 1755 and 1764 (Roux 1975).
adjacent to Jutten Island. It lies at the southern entrance
to Saldanha Bay. Very little pupping happens at this colo- 17. Dassen Island
ny: an average of just three pups were born at the colony Coordinates: 33.432 S; 18.319 E
since the inception of aerial surveys in 2005. However, be- Status: Recolonised former colony.
tween 52 and 850 seals have been counted hauling out at Description: Dassen Island, 223 ha, is South Africa’s
this rock. Bird remains in seal scats suggested that seals second largest marine island. Excavations around West
from the haul-out may have fed on Cape Gannet fledglings Bay indicated seals bred there previously (Department of
around nearby Malgas Island, at the north of Saldanha Bay, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, unpubl.). In 2022, it
and there is a programme aimed at discouraging seals was recolonised by a few seals, some of which gave birth
from landing on main Jutten Island (not the outcrop used to pups at the southwest of the island.
by seals). Conservation status: The island is a provincial nature re-
Conservation status: Access to the island is restricted. serve that is administered by Cape Nature.
The colony is part of the West Coast National Park and
managed by the South African National Parks in terms of 18. Grotto Bay Seal Rocks
Sections 39 and 41 of the National Environmental Manage- Coordinates: 33.487 S; 18.302 E
ment: Protected Areas Act (Act 57 of 2003). Status: Limited breeding
Eco-tourism: No seal targeted tourism is conducted. Description: This colony is on an outcrop of two main low-
Harvesting status: There is a scarcity of data on former lying rocks situated south of Modder River in Grotto Bay,
seal harvesting at Jutten Island (David and Van Sittert Western Cape. The rocks were estimated (using Google
2008). The colony was most likely exterminated during Earth Pro) to have surface areas 0.12 ha (western rock)
the 18th century’s uncontrolled seal harvests (Best and and 0.14 ha (eastern rock). About 25% of the western rock
Shaughnessy 1979). was above water at high tide. This may expose breeding
seals to rough wave action during stormy conditions. Thus,
16. Vondeling Island although pupping may increase over time, the mortality rate
Coordinates: 33.151 S; 17.975 E is likely to be high. This colony was discovered and photo-
Status: Breeding graphed in breeding season of 2017, when three pups and
Description: This colony is on an island situated to the 276 other seals were counted. Of these, 170 occupied the
south of Saldanha Bay off the West Coast National Park. western rock. In 2020, no pups were seen at the colony but
The island is exposed to open seas and difficult to land on, about 126 seals occupied the rocks.
which made it less desirable than others for seal harvest-
ing (David and Van Sittert 2008). Historical sealing prior to
the establishment of the Dutch replenishment colony in the
Cape led to the extinction of the colony and subsequent
guano harvesting operations prevented recolonisation.

An aerial view of the Vondeling Island seal colony An aerial view of Grotto Bay

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