The exploitation of Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) along the southern African coast represents one of the oldest commercial 'fisheries' in the region and dates back more than three centuries. In early years sealing activities were entirely uncontrolled and indiscriminate, and by the end of the 19th century the regional population had been severely depleted. More than 20 breeding colonies along the coast had been eradicated. Although initial legislation controlling the exploitation of seals was introduced in South Africa in 1893, no such legislation was introduced in Namibia until 1922. Since the beginning of the 20th century the seal population as a whole has shown a remarkable recovery and at the same time has sustained the annual harvests of a local sealing industry. This recovery has, however, been accompanied by a growing concern about the potential impacts of seals on stocks of commercially valuable fish.

For most of this century sealing in the region has been directed at first year animals (pups) aged approximately 8 months and in the process of weaning. The main products from this exploitation were seal pelts. Until 1974 no quota system was in effect, and exploitation was regulated by closed seasons and the market, while population trends were poorly understood. Aerial censuses aimed at estimating the numbers of pups born started in 1972, together with tag-recapture experiments. The regional population was estimated to exceed 1.1 million individuals in 1984 and to have been increasing at an average rate of between 3 and 4% per year during the 1970s.

In Namibia the harvests between 1920 and 1950 were around 10,000 pups per year. Harvests increased sharply during the 1950s and 1960s and exceeded 50,000 pups per year during the 1970s and early 1980s. In addition, adult males (bulls) were also exploited during some years.

During the 1970s international campaigns against seal culling intensified and shifts in public opinion affected the markets of some seal products (e.g. pelts). In the early 1980s the industry faced a virtual collapse of the pelt market. As a result, and despite a relaxation of the quota system in Namibia, the annual pup harvests declined steadily between 1982 and 1988, accompanied by an increase in the levels of bull harvests. Since then, demand for bulls has remained high and the pup harvests have increased steadily to exceed 30,000 pups annually in 1993 and 1994 while still remaining well below the allocated quotas. This recovery of the industry has entailed a diversification of the products (e.g. carcass meal, pelts, leather, oil, bull genitalia and curios) and the development of new markets.

In 1994 and 1995 the Namibian seal population was affected by an episode of mass mortality which affected all age and sex classes. This event is thought to have been triggered by anomalous oceanographic conditions similar to those which have occurred irregularly in the northern Benguela upwelling region in the past. It resulted primarily in changes in the sizes, distributions and population dynamics of most fish stocks in the area.