A Review of Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus) Literature to Direct Future Health Monitoring Initiatives

Abstract

Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus, NFS) are a vulnerable species broadly distributed throughout the north Pacific. Although commercial hunting stopped in 1984, the population has continued to decline for unknown reasons. The goal of this scoping review was to synthesize and review 50 years of literature relevant to the health of NFS to inform the development of health surveillance recommendations. Search criteria were developed and applied to three databases, followed by title and abstract screening and full text review. Articles published between 1 January 1972 and 31 December 2021 were included. Articles were categorized by health determinant, and further as relating to ten subcategories of disease. Data were summarized descriptively. A total of 148 publications met the criteria for inclusion. Infectious disease reports were common, primarily relating to metazoan parasite presence. The presence of zoonotic pathogens such as Coxiella burnetii and Brucella spp. is of public health interest, although a failure to link disease research to individual animal or population health outcomes was consistent across the literature. A shift away from the single agent focus of disease programs toward more holistic, health-oriented perspectives will require broader interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings can inform stakeholders and help them to prioritize and strategize on future NFS health research efforts.