Meet Salvatore, the more than 200 kilogram Australian fur seal who appears to have taken up permanent residence in Melbourne's Yarra River.

There have been 16 reports of a seal in the river so far this year, according to Wildlife Victoria, the latest on Wednesday afternoon when Richmond woman Heather Chai was walking her baby along the Yarra Trail near Bridge Road at lunchtime.

"At first I didn't believe it when a man said 'there's a seal in the river'," Ms Chai says. "But sure enough, up he popped. You should have seen the amazement on people's faces."

Salvatore has distinct marks on his neck and is so named because he likes to frolic near the Salvation Army building in Richmond, entertaining kayakers and joggers by tearing apart fish and diving around in the murky water.