during particularly rough El Niño years, most of the young seal populations will die. The Galápagos fur seal has virtually no constant predators. Occasionally, sharks and orcas have been seen feeding on the seals, but this is very rare. Sharks and orcas are the main predator of most other seal species, but their migration paths do not usually pass the Galápagos. Conservation Anthropogenic Threats The Galápagos Islands are heavily trafficked by tourists. However, tourism is well regulated and restricted by the Ecuadorian government. Collisions with boats which frequent the waters near the islands could also be fatal to the Galapagos fur seals. Historically, the Galápagos fur seal has also been threatened by hunting and invasive species. Whalers and sealers used to hunt the seals for their fur. The threat of hunting has been removed since the declaration of the Galápagos islands as a national park and the protection of the species under law. Environmental Threats The fur seals’ habitat is naturally restricted which makes them more threatened by environmental changes. Other potential and existing threats are tourism, oil spills, and boat collisions. Oil spills would be particularly damaging to the fur seal as their thick pelage is an important part of their thermoregulation. The waters near the archipelago are trafficked by vessels of ranging sizes that could contain and release moderate amounts of oil. Isabela Island was documented as having a population of dogs that were known to kill the Galápagos fur seals. Since then all of the feral dog population on Isabela Island has been exterminated and the seals no longer face this threat. Now, the biggest direct threats to Galápagos fur seals involve climate change which includes ocean warming as well as ESNO weather events. Some of the indirect threats for them are marine pollution, pathogen spillovers, and bycatch. There is not a lot known about the relation between pathogens and pinnipeds, but there were diseases found carried by dogs and cats on Isabela Island. Biological and Chemical Pollution Animals such as rats, domestic dogs, and feral cats are considered to be a threat to the Galápagos fur seals because they can be both hosts and infected carriers of infectious diseases. These diseases would then be spread to marine mammals. Although the fur seals are not exactly in close proximity to many domestic animals, feral cats are typically found around the islands. Many tests were done on these