The Guadalupe fur seal was nearly hunted to extinction in the 1880's, with the known population numbering only 7 individuals in 1892. Other than two males sold to the San Diego Zoo in 1928, only one other GFS was sighted until 1954. Guadalupe Island was declared a seal sanctuary by the Mexican government in 1975. The Guadalupe fur seal was first placed on the "threatened" list in the US on March 11, 1967. By 1984 there were 1,600 seals in the Guadalupe Island population, including around 650 new pups. Current estimates place the population number at >7,000 individuals. Despite the bottlenecks of the late 1800's, there still remains a high level of genetic variability in the population. The population of Guadalupe fur seals is growing at the rate of 11.5% per annum.

(Bernardi et al. 1998; Seal Conservation Society, 2001; USFWS 2001; Whitaker 1997; Wickens & York 1997)

US Federal List: threatened

CITES: appendix i

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened