The Baltic ringed seal population “increased five fold since the 1970s when long-term overhunting and environmental toxins put the species on the brink of extinction,” reports Oceanographic Magazine. “A new statistical model developed by the experts at the University of Helsinki suggests that the population has since grown from a concerning 5,000 individuals to some 25,000….the resumption of seal hunting in 2015 has also considerably affected the population size and growth rate of the species.”
“Hunting affects the ringed seal population. We estimate that, without hunting, the population would grow annually by about 7%. However, hunting has lowered the growth rate to less than 5%,” said Murat Ersalman, the co-author of a recent study of the seal population.
In other news, giant river otters recently returned to a place where they were wiped out 40 years ago.
Fish species have rebounded off the coast of California due to their young finding a sanctuary in abandoned oil rigs.
Brazil’s rarest parrots have made a comeback.
