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Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Steller Sea Lions are currently listed as an endangered species.
Their numbers have declined rapidly in the last 20 years with a drop in
numbers of over 75%! Since 1980 numbers have dropped from over 300,000 to less
than 80,000. Scientists are studying the decline in hopes of
understanding the factors involved in these drastic declines. Theories as to
the cause vary widely, from changes in the climate of the Pacific,nutritional
stress
caused by competition with humans or other species for food, changes in the
quality and distribution of prey, and environmental factors such as pollution.
Ongoing studies seek to find answers to these and other questions in hopes of
preventing further declines in their numbers.