Pinnipeds & Otters

There are five species of Pinnipeds found in BC, including two species of sea lion and three species of seal. The two species of sea lions are the California sea lion and the Stellar sea lion.

Stellar sea lions are the only SARA listed pinniped species. They are currently listed as a species of special concern, due to very restricted breeding locations. Steller sea lions are much larger and typically lighter in colour than the California sea lions.

California Sea lions are darker in coloration and smaller than Stellar Sea lions. They have distinct bump on the top of their head that helps distinguish them from other species.

There are three species of seal found in British-Columbia waters: harbour seals, northern fur seals and northern elephant seals. Of the three, harbour seals are the most common in the Salish Sea. They can be seen year-round, in areas close to shore. In recent years, their population has been increasing, but there is insufficient data to fully assess the stability of the population. Entanglement, oil spills, and environmental contaminants can pose threats to all pinniped species.

There are two species of otter found in BC waters, sea otters and river otters. Sea otters spend their whole lives at sea and were heavily hunted during the fur trade. In the 1900 they were considered extirpated in Canada; a small population was reintroduced to the west coast of Vancouver Island and they have slowly repopulated but are still considered at risk. River otters only spend part of their time in water and are much more common in BC.