Australian Fur Seals are the largest of eight species of fur seal in the world and reside in the coastal waters and oceans of Southern Australia. Seal Rocks, off Phillip Island, is a critically important breeding habitat for Australia's fur seal population.

Pups and juveniles are often seen splashing and playing with each other in the rock pools and shallows learning skills of survival and independence. Seals are considered 'marine sentinels' which means their health can signal early warnings of existing or emerging threats to the health of entire ocean ecosystems, such as climate change and pollutants, which ultimately affect the health of humans.

Given this, it is critically important for marine scientists to conduct research to assess the future implications of threats to Phillip Island's Australian Fur Seal population and our marine ecosystem, including commercial fishing operations, toxic pollutants, entanglement in marine debris, ingestion of marine plastic, loss of breeding habitat caused by sea-level rise under climate change and potential disturbance by boat and jetski visitation.