Speak out for New Zealand Sea Lions

Join the letter-writing campaign for sea lions

New Zealand's sea lions are now among the world's rarest. 

Government science shows that the number of sea lion pups produced each year is in decline, halving since 1998.

If this decline continues, the species could be functionally extinct by 2035.

Studies by the Department of Conservation and Otago University show that commercial fishing is the most likely cause of this decline.

Yet instead of increasing protect for our sea lions, the government recently proposed removing the limit on the number of sea lions permitted to be killed each year in fishing nets.

Following public outcry, the government dropped this proposal - but has allowed the accidental death of 68 'nationally critical' NZ sea lions in the next squid fishing season. This decision still fails to give sea lions the protection they need to survive. 

WWF is continuing to campaign for the government needs to take urgent action to stop the extinction of New Zealand sea lions, by undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment to identify and manage the threats to sea lions' survival.

We want a future where sea lions are no longer threatened with extinction, but thriving once more - and we need your help to make this happen.

YOU CAN HELP - crafting one carefully considered personal letter to Ministers will make a difference.

Download our letter-writing toolkit to find out more about New Zealand's sea lions, and how your words can help them survive. Postage is free, and the Ministers will send you a reply.

For more technical information, you can also read WWF's submission to the Government or this short conservation summary.

But you don't have to be a sea lion expert to speak out for their survival. Any letter - long or short - expressing what you want for this species, will help make a difference.

If you'd like campaign materials to help spread the word, email our team at info@wwf.org.nz and we'll post your 'Speak out for Sea Lions' campaign pack out to you.

Thanks for helping our sea lions! 

You can help - speak out for NZ Sea Lions

Icon of NZ sea lion in circle with words 'speak out for NZ sea lions' / ©: Ethan Attewell / WWF
A carefully considered personal letter to a politician carries weight. So please, check out our letter-writing toolkit - our guide for what you could include in your letter - and tell the Minister of Conservation and the Minister for Primary Industries to act now to save our sea lions! 

Read the backgrounder to find out more about New Zealand's sea lions. 



For more technical information, read WWF's submission or this conservation summary of the main actions the Government should take to halt the extinction of our sea lions. Tell them why you want sea lions to survive.

Address the two envelopes containing your letter to:

Hon. Kate Wilkinson,
Minister of Conservation
P.O. Box 18888            
Wellington 6160

Hon. David Carter,
Minister for Primary Industries
P.O. Box 18888            
Wellington 6160

Postage is free! Just write 'Freepost Parliament' where the stamp would normally go.

You can also help by signing Forest & Bird's petition to save sea lions. 
WWF is calling on the New Zealand Government to immediately take the following action:
  1. Determine the relative importance of the threats facing the sea lions.
  2. Revise the Department of Conservations Sea Lion Species Management Plan. - (The revised plan should provide clear, time-bound actions to address the main threats identified in the comparative assessment.)
  3. Develop an improved population model to guide sea lion mortality limits. - (The model should address the flaws in the current model and also consider the effect of food competition and epidemics.)
  4. Set a precautionary mortality limit for sea lions in the squid fishery.  - (This limit should be based on the improved population model and on a conservative assessment of the effectiveness of sea lion exclusion devices.)
  5. Set an explicit sea lion mortality limit in the Campbell southern blue whiting fishing.
  6. Set precautionary allocations of squid and other southern ocean fish stocks. - (These allocations should be ecologically based and explicitly considers direct and indirect effects of fishing on sea lions.)

Sea lion pups in decline

A graph showing the decline of sealion pups from 1995 to 2011 / ©: DOC
Numbers of sea lion pups are in freefall - estimates from the Department of Conservation show pup production has halved since 1998. 
/ ©: WWF-New Zealand
You can also support the campaign by making a donation to WWF's NZ sea lion appeal here.

Building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence.