The City Council of Niteroi, in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro, said Civil Defense agents and biologists were monitoring a fur seal spotted on Itaipuaçu beach, in Maricá, last Sunday, Agência Brasil reported. The area was cordoned off by local authorities, it was also explained.
The Falkland Islands is home to the largest population of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus asutralis australis) in the world, according to a recent scientific paper.
Falkland Islands Senior Fisheries Scientist Dr Alexander Arkhipkin explains the habits of fur seals and the efforts undertaken to reduce by-catch in the Loligo fishery. Stocks of Falkland calamari (Loligo) are very prolific this year.