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All bearded seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and determined by the IUCN to be a "least concern" for extinction. NOAA determined that the factors influencing any change in conservancy status of the bearded seal may include: loss of sea ice by climate change, bycatch from commercial fishing gear, and hunting. Their main predators include polar bears, however, they are not typically commonly predated on. Only bearded seals around age 2 are attacked, leaving older juveniles and adults commonly unharmed. IUCN further claims that “ Bearded Seals are very likely going to be negatively impacted by climate change, in particular because of losses of sea ice, and they should be monitored over the coming decades and reassessed as soon as more data become available.”