âI have seen some colonies halve in pup production in a decade. Seeing these declines has been really worrying.â In late 2020, the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, raised the status of the Australian sea lion from vulnerable to endangered after recommendations from the threatened species scientific committee. The Australian sea lion, together with two species of fur seals, were commercially hunted from the late 18th century to the early 21st century. Fur seal numbers are recovering, but Australia sea lion numbers are not. The sea lions are known to get caught in fishing nets and lobster pots, in particular gillnets set on the ocean floor in the same places where the seals forage for food.