Quantifying the past: a global literature review on historical pinniped exploitation

This report was conducted in the context of the wider, global scope of the literature review of the ERC Synergy Grant 4-OCEANS: Human History of Marine Life,1 a project that aims to demonstrate how the exploitation of marine resources has played a crucial role in the global history of human societies (Holm et al., 2022). Synthesizing data from the late 1st millennium BCE to 1860, it represents a coordinated effort to comprehensively survey quantitative literature on global marine extractions (fishing and hunting, among other practices). To achieve that, 4-OCEANS examines 10 major taxa of keystone environmental and/or economic species or taxonomic groups, including pinnipeds. The pinnipeds (from the Latin meaning ‘fin-footed’) are one of three major clades of modern marine mammals, comprising 3 families: the Phocidae ('true seals'), the Otariidae ('eared seals'), which include the fur seals and sea lions, and the Odobenidae comprising just one species, the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus).The aim of this document is to present the methodology developed, to showcase possible taxa-specific and site specific-analysis and to inform 4-OCEANS’ working publications.