4 - Fieldwork 101

Summary

Getting to the field site to study wild animals sets stringent limits on what can be done. Access to the seals at Año Nuevo Island from my university office was fast, inexpensive, and convenient but was adventurous and dangerous in the early years. The initial attempts to study the seals are described as well as monitoring the entire population by study of the largest extant rookeries. Field research at Año Nuevo was made easier when the seals started breeding on the mainland adjacent to the island. This change facilitated the long-term study of these animals, which is critical for a deep understanding of their natural history. Identifying individuals with marks, tags, or brands, as well as other manipulations such as measuring, weighing, and taking blood samples, was vital and the key start in determining the questions we could address and answer. We developed a system to identify individuals throughout their lives.