Northern Fur Seals

Northern fur seals are one of the seven species of fur seals and due to their north american range, have been the one most targeted throughout history for their pelts. While they were hunted by native peoples for centuries, the arrival of Europeans to Kamchatka and alaska in the 17th and 18th centuries eventually led to a dramatic decline in their numbers. international protection in 1911 helped their numbers to rebound in the 20th century, but the population is still under stress. currently, the majority of fur seals, an estimated 60 - 70 percent, breed at Pribilof islands located in the Bering sea. northern fur seals are found throughout the northern Pacific ocean from Japan to southern california all the way up to the Bering sea.