Introduction

Migratory seals are a key part of many ecosystems. With one species removed, the entire ecosystem is at risk of being imbalanced. Due to the migratory seals’ large daily travel, they provide researchers with evidence used to determine the health of the ocean. Without seals, the food chain would be disrupted. In the latter half of 2025, two new threats to migratory seals emerged. The Avian Flu and the Caspian Seal Crisis are both indicative of how delicate the seal ecosystem is and how interconnected the surrounding threats are.

The Avian Flu and Its Effects on the Seal Population

The Avian Flu has been severely affecting the seal population. The disease was originally found in Asian bird populations in the 1960s, but the exact origin is not known. In the past few years, isolated instances of mammal infection were found. However, late 2025 marked the first time that the flu was an issue with seal populations over multiple seasons. This shows how infectious the disease is and that it has prevented the population of seals from recovering in between outbreaks.

The Avian Flu harmed seals because infected birds leave droppings on icebergs and other aquatic surfaces. These are resting spots for seals. Once the seals themselves are infected, they can spread it to other seals as well. The flu has affected a multitude of species around the world. Notable species include southern elephant seals, gray seals, harbor seals, and Antarctic fur seals.

Unfortunately, elephant seals are the most impacted. As it spreads from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, the flu has drastically decreased the number of breeding females by 47 percent. Most animals living in the southern hemisphere have not been exposed to the virus before. The current impact of the Avian Flu on seals is far beyond any previous infection and any projections for its impact. This provides insight into the severity of the situation. With record-breaking numbers, the elephant seal population continues to plummet, risking extinction.

Since this outbreak, UN bodies have worked to fund research projects to create a vaccine. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has worked with various United Nations bodies to create pandemic funds. The FAO created a ten-year plan, alongside the World Organization for Animal Health, called the “Global Strategy for the Protection and Control of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza.” The plan will research to find a vaccine and reduce the risk of diseases. The Southern Elephant Seal was the first species to be used for the vaccination trial in July 2025. The trial has been successful, but the short timeframe of testing leaves long-term results unclear. As trials continue, there is a clear absence of a framework for managing seal disease outbreaks. This shows the need for strategies focused on prevention, monitoring, and ecosystem-level responses.

The Caspian Seal Crisis

The Caspian Seal Crisis is another example of the importance of the migratory seal. In November of 2025, over 100 seals were found dead on the coast of the Caspian Sea. The seals were later studied to confirm their cause of death. When examined, there were various heavy metals. These negatively impact the body’s nervous system. This area of the sea had been heavily polluted, which contributed to the large number of deaths.

Pollution is not a new threat to seals, but the scale of the Caspian Seal Crisis is unprecedented. While pollution is often associated with plastic waste, heavy metals also pose a significant danger. In this case, the metals originated from the water itself, whose composition has shifted over time—often as a result of factors such as industrial runoff. The nature of industrial runoff makes it extremely difficult to trace and regulate. Its ability to travel quickly hampers most efforts to track it and also increases its impact, while making containment difficult.

In response to the Caspian Seal Crisis, conservationists developed the Caspian Seal Conservation Action and Management Plan. The plan seeks to halt all hunting of the species and raise public awareness about the importance of conservation. However, its focus is limited to addressing hunting and does not tackle the underlying causes of the crisis. Its effectiveness has been constrained by declining sea health and rising pollution levels.

The Caspian Seal Crisis shows the continual, impactful consequences of pollution. While stopping pollution altogether is an important goal, so too is managing the consequences. Pollution does not obey national boundaries, as it flows across borders. It impacts species in all countries. Solutions focused on single countries are unable to succeed alone. Plans for international collaboration are needed. The responsibility for fixing pollution in the Caspian region is split between states on the coast and other international bodies. This divided responsibility creates weak enforcement. While the Caspian Seal Crisis is specific to one region, it is a clear sign of the threats to all species.

Conclusion

The Avian Flu and the Caspian seal crisis are both clear signs of gaps in regulation. Effective solutions must address all factors affecting the survival and well-being of migratory seals. Issues are not limited to one area. Instead, they are cascading and impacting a wide range of regions and bodies. And since seals are migratory species, the problems of one location will soon become issues for other regions as well.

Bibliography

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