Southern elephant seals are protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Marine Mammal Act 1972, but research into the reasons behind the decline of this species must be conducted before management plans can be drawn up. Priorities for research need to focus on the continuation of census programmes, demographic studies and investigations into several aspects of the biology of first-year seals, particularly diet and foraging ranges (6). Some of the breeding sites of the southern elephant seal are protected, such as the Provincial Wildlife Reserve of North Point, at Peninsula Valdés, Argentina (7), and MacQuarie Island Nature Reserve and World Heritage Site (8).
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