Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

The SCAR Group of Specialists on Seals is concerned about research and conservation issues that focus on six Antarctic seal species. Four of these species, the Ross, Weddell, leopard and crabeater seals, occupy the pack-ice zone whereeas the Antarctic fur seal and the southern elephant seal occupy the more northerly islands. The Group is interested in research on all aspects of the biology of Antarctic seals: population ecology, behaviour, reproduction, growth, feeding and diet, and bioenergetics. The Group is currently coordinating a major international research programme investigating the Antarctic Pack Ice seals (APIS). A major scientific objective for Antarctic seal research is to use measures such as growth rates, survival, foraging areas, feeding depths, and general health as indicators of ecosystem conditions. The Group was formally constituted in 1972 to enable SCAR to discharge its responsibilities under the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS). The Group also responds to requests for advice from the scientific committee of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), particularly in respect of ecosystem monitoring and the effects of marine debris.

For further information about the Group of Specialists on Seals please contact the Group Convenor.

For current information see the Standing Scientific Group on Life Sciences pages.

Members of the Group of Specialists on Seals

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