With its volcanic formation, the island is the only sea island in the gaúcho coast.

Located in front of the city beaches, it' s a refuge for fur seals and sea lions using the spot for resting.as well as birds of various species, including seabirds. turtles, fishes, corals and shelfishes too !

Fishing and landing are prohibited on the island, although the responsible institution for it does not discard a future development of ecoloical tourism there. Meanwhile, a 500 meters distance can not be exceeded. Even so, the boats respecting the limit are able to appreciate the beauties and the sea fauna that live on the island.

CREATION : The Unidade de Conservação ( Preservation unit) is managed by Chico Mendes Conservação da Biodiversidade Unit Institute, a federal autarchy connected to Ministry of Enviroment. It was created in 1983 as an ecological reserve and was Brazil's smallest preservation unit untill 2005. When it's category changed to Reserva Ecológica for Refúgio de Vida Silvestre, the island had its protection area expanded- that included the island itself and 500 extra meters each side leaving the title of being the smallest unit of the country.

LOCATION :The Refugee is located around 1,8 km from the shore, having a 142 ha area and a 15-20 depth.

OBJECTIVE :The Wildlife Refugee is an area looking forward to protecting natural enviroment where conditions for existence and reproduction of species or communities of local fauna and flora are preseved, being locally or migratory. According to the July 4th 2005 decree, this wildlife refugee has the main objective to preserve the existing ecosystems. allowing scientific researchs and the development of activities of environmental education, recreation and ecological turism.

CURIOSITIES : Fur Seals Island is the only island on the gaúcho seashore ; there are records of Fur Seals and sea lions from 1797; althought baptized " Fur Seals Island", sea lions are the most frequent visitors; in 1960 the cargo ship named Avaí crashed and sank into the island, but the shipwreck remained upon the island for 25 years; its volcanic formation has the same as the one that formed the Guarita hill, Farol hill, Furnas hill and south tower; according to monitoring data, the maximum sea lions occupying the island was 156 ( Nema,2014) and sea wolves was 136( ICMBio,2019; Right Whales presence around the island is registered every year, specially between july-october when those mammals have more incidence in this state coast.

LOCAL FAUNA : The island is mostly visited by the pinipeds( fur seals and sea lions ), specially the southern sea lion ( otaria flavescens) and southern fur seal( arctocephalus australis). The highest number of these animals occur in wintertime. The animals come from breeding colonies in Uruguay and migrate every year to the Rio Grande coast. To the sea lion, the island is the further north point it can be reached in the brazillian coast. Besides pinipeds, the island also shelters a hand full of birds. A previous survey already identified 27 species of birds on the island and its surroundings, including threatened species according to the red book of Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção do ICMbio like the Trinta-réis de bico vermelho( Sterna hirundinacea) and the trinta réis real( Thalasseus maximus). Neverthless, some of the local fish species are also threatened species like the burriquete or miraguaia( Pogonias cromis), garoupa( Epinephalus marginatus), bagre branco( Genidens barbus) and the cação- mangona( Carcharias taurus).

MONITORING PROGRAM : The fur seals island refugee ( REVIS ) monitorizes pinipeds that might show up at the shore and has a tagging project of this animals. Monitoring is accomplished by a technical team and this tagging aims on identifying the animals in the case of a future returning on the beach, island or its breeding colonies. Besides the team provides explanations to the people about those animals. For that, the REVIS team asks to the population to contact them in case of meeting such animals at the shore by the phone/ whatsapp 3664 4874 or troughh Facebook( facebook/revisilhadoslobos) and instagram( @revisilhadoslobos).

More info @ the site : www.icmbio.gov.br/revisilhadoslobos/