From 1 April to 31 October of each year in Uruguay a macabre and cruel practice is authorized: The capture and sale of live marine lions intended for export. We are talking about the same animals that are seen lying in the sun in Cabo Polonio or who populate the Punta del Este port, becoming an attraction for tourists and fishermen.
In Uruguay these marine animals are considered one natural resourcelike fish. According to this logic, the state It allows its salemainly for the purpose of entertainment: They are sent to aquariums, reserves and zoomostly in Asian countries.
Capture and training
The caught sea lions are puppies, have less than a year And they are just been weaned. This facilitates their adaptability to captivity and subsequent training. In captivity they have to learn to eat dead fish instead of hunting live prey. They also owe get used to human contacton which they will depend on for feeding and care.
The specimens travel by planein conditions that can only not make us stunned. Unlike current practices in other countries – where animals are moved only from one zoo to the other or transferred to reservations – in Uruguay they come taken directly from their natural habitat making it even more inhuman.
Traceability is non -existent
The National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (Dinara) ensures that they are respected rigorous protocols to ensure animal health. Private veterinarians and Dinara officials control every phase, from capture to transport. Reassurances that, given their end, certainly cannot make us feel calm.
Fears that are confirmed by the fact that, according to the veterinarian Lourdes Casasof the NGO Asiestthe export processes are opaque: “They are said to go to the oceanaries, but nobody officially confirms it to you. Traceability is non -existent“
As for costs and earnings, the selling price paid to the state is 87,000 Uruguayan pesos for each male (approximately 1,880 euros) and 118,000 pesos for each female (approximately 2,550 euros). The private buyershowever, they resell them at much higher prices: an trained sea lion can cost up to 23,000 euros. The females, less inclined to reproduce in captivity, sometimes reach even higher prices.
A secular trade
The trade of these animals has ancient roots. The first documented hunt dates back to 1515when the sailors of Juan Díaz de Solís killed 66 to survive. Over time, hunting has evolved and regulated, but has always been considered an profitable economic activity.
In the 1950s, the zoologist Raúl Vaz Ferreira imported a Sustainable hunting model From the Pribilof islands (Alaska), prohibiting the killing of females and puppies. From the 1991 The hunt is prohibited, but the sale of live specimens has taken its place.
Between 2012 and 2019, Uruguay exported hundreds of specimensespecially in China (677 in total). Other markets are: Thailand, Vietnam, Ukraine, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar and Russia. The capture was suspended in 2020 because of the Pandemic. In 2021 only 10 specimens were sold. The H5N1 aviaria virus, appeared in 2023, aggravated the situation and in 2024 no requests were submitted by companies.
