[3] With a population estimated at 14,730 animals, the Wildlife Conservation Act of Western Australia (1950) has listed them as "in need of special protection".

About 42% of the total known population is found within the three largest colonies east of Port Lincoln; Seal Bay (on Kangaroo Island's south coast), The Pages, and Dangerous Reef (in Spencer Gulf).

[6] In pinnipeds, mothers and pups are frequently separated throughout nursing, so are expected to have evolved an efficient individual recognition system.

Individual recognition produces mutual benefits by avoiding misdirected maternal care and energy expenditure for mothers, and the risk of injury for young approaching unrelated, potentially dangerous, adult females.

In contrast to recent olfactory studies in pinnipeds, which showed the presence, but not a natural function of olfaction in pinnipeds, the present study shows that wild Australian sea lions use their olfactory abilities in a functional manner, by discrimination between the scents of their own offspring and nonfilial pups.

[9] While Australian sealions have a reputation for curiosity and playfulness during interactions with humans, their bite (albeit rare) can require hospitalisation.

Limited stomach-content and faecal analyses have identified a wide variety of prey in the diet of the Australian sea lion, including teleost fish, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, sharks (including Port Jackson sharks), southern rock lobster, other small crustaceans, and little penguins.

Regurgitate and stomach samples from Australian sea lions at Seal Bay contained hard parts consisting predominantly of benthic taxa.

The young and naïve sea lions may become overly curious or confident, possibly even hunting rays, and receive a lethal sting.

However, census data collected since 1973 show that breeding events shift forward in time to 13.8 days earlier every 18 months.

[24] Sea lions have historically been captured from the wild and held in captivity in various zoos and aquaria, including Marineland of South Australia.

Dead animals with gunshot wounds have been found at Cheynes Beach, Albany,[30] near Port Wakefield in South Australia[31] and at other locations.

[32] The shooting of a male Australian sea lion, which had hauled out at Port Macdonnell in 2013 by government employees without a prior veterinary assessment, was criticised by animal-rescue workers and the general public.

[33][34] In March 2021, a male Australian sea lion was shot and killed with a longbow at Bales Beach, Kangaroo Island.

[4] In 2011, Humane Society International lobbied for the trigger figure for the closure of the fishery of 104 Australian sea lion deaths to be lowered.

[4] The transition for young mammals from dependence on milk to independent foraging can lead to increased risk of natural mortality.

The Australian sea lion demonstrates one of the longest lactation periods in pinnipeds, and pups begin diving before they are weaned.

Although many air-breathing vertebrates dive well within their estimated limit of oxygen stores, Australian sea lion adults and juveniles appear to operate close to their physiological maxima.

The prolonged dependency period could provide extensive opportunities for foraging lessons, while the extreme diving behaviour required in the Australian sea lions' environment might necessitate it.

In 1909, field naturalists lobbied for the protection of three critical breeding sites for the Australian sea lion: Dangerous Reef, The Pages, and the Casuarina Islets off Kangaroo Island.

[38] In 1918, the South Australian parliament debated the Birds and Animals Protection Bill, and the Legislative Council agreed that it would protect Australian sea lions from harm covering waters of Spencer Gulf, St Vincent Gulf, the Investigator Strait, Backstairs Passage, and to the mouth of the Murray River.

On 11 June 2013, a recovery plan for the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) was adopted by the minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities.

[46] In 2015, an Australian sea lion juvenile was captured at Bletchley near Strathalbyn in South Australia, and was going to be considered for holding in captivity.

The strategy was expected to significantly reduce the impact of fishing in the southern and eastern scalefish and shark fishery (SESSF) on Australian sea lions and enable the recovery of the species, including all subpopulations.

[4] Australian sea lions defecate nutrient-rich faeces, which may provide an important nutrient source for coastal ecosystems.

[49] Diving behaviours indicate that the Australian sea lions worked extremely hard to exploit the benefits of their surrounding habitats.