ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: On Australia's Kangaroo Island, sportsmen hunted the emus to extinction, and in the process, they nearly wiped out the kangaroos and seals as well.</s>RALPH WENGE, CNN ANCHOR: But then the government stepped in, and now, the seals of Kangaroo Island are the story of survival. Australia's Network Ten tells us about it.</s>MELODY HORRILL, NETWORK TEN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): South Australia's coastline is a haven for 70 percent of the nations' sea lions. Here, at seal-bound Kangaroo Island, the animals are gearing up for their annual pupping season, but the future for their offspring is grim. CSIRO scientists, who've been monitoring sea lion colonies across the country, find the mortality rate among the younger animals has reached record levels.</s>ROGER COLLINS, NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE: Forty percent of them were dead by the end of the pupping season, so that's within seven months. That's really very, very high.</s>HORRILL: It's a stark contrast to New Zealand seals, which also inhabit Kangaroo Island. They've bounced back from over harvesting last century and their population is thriving. (on camera): Researchers don't know for sure why so many young sea lions are dying, but they suspect the fishing industry could be to blame. The fishing industry denies it's to blame, and believes it's being used as a scapegoat.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it would be responsible for a very small proportion of the mortalities to the population. It's much easier to point at the obvious rather than find out the real reasons.</s>HORRILL: But they need proof; it wants observers on board fishing boats to record how many seals are becoming entangled. The industry says it will consider their request. Melody Horrill, Ten News.
Seals of Kangaroo Island; the Story of Survival