Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T20:28:01.057Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Scientific investigations of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 1990

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Howard W. Braham
Affiliation:
National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle WA 98115, USA

Extract

Field research was carried out on Seal Island (60°59.5'S, 55°24.5'W), South Shetland Islands from 14 December 1989 to 27 February 1990. The main focus ofstudy was the ecology and population biology of Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalusgazella (Bengtson and others 1990a, b)and chinstrap Pygoscelis antarctica and macaroni Eudyptes chrysolophus penguins (Bengtson and others 1990a; Croll and others 1990). Analysis of stomach and fecal contents of live adult and sub-adult animals showed that krill were predominate in the diets of all three species, especially the penguins. Prey fed to penguin chicks by their parents contained 99% krill by weight. Thedietof fur seals varied from principally krill (62%), to fish (13%), to mixed krill and fish (25%). Traces of squid beaks were found in 15% of the fur seal stomach samples. Time-depth recorders and radio transm itters were attached to 14 fur seals, 10 macaroni penguins and 40 chinstrap penguins, to assess foraging behavior. Fur seals foraged at depths averaging 20—30 m, and the penguins 35–50 m. All three species swam to areas 11—100 km north of Seal Island to feed (water depths varied from 200 m to greater than 3000 m). These results are consistent with data collected in 1988 and 1989.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bengtson, J.L., Boveng, P. and Hewitt, R. 1990a. Furseal and penguin foraging areas near Seal Island. US Department of Commerce, NOAA, Southwest Fisheries Science Center Administrative Report LJ-9011: 7579.Google Scholar
Bengtson, J.L., Ferm, L. M., Harknen, T. J. and Stewart, B. S. 1990b. Abundance of Antarctic fur seals in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, during the 1986/87 austral summer. In Kerry, K. and Hempel, G. (editors). Antarctic ecosystems, Wurzburg, Germany, Springer-Verlag: 265–70.Google Scholar
Braham, H. W. 1990a. Scientific investigations of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 1988. Polar Record 26(157): 119–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braham, H. W. 1990b. Scientific investigations of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 1989. Polar Record 26(159): 319–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braham, H. W. and Donovan, G. P. (editors). In preparation. The comprehensive assessment of whale stocks: gray whale Eschrichtius robustus. Cambridge, International Whaling Commission (Special Issue).Google Scholar
Croll, D., Osmek, S. and Bengtson, J. L. 1990. Seabird research at Seal Island. US Department of Commerce, NOAA, Southwest Fisheries Science Center Administrative Report LJ-9011: 6271.Google Scholar
De Long, R. L. and Stewart, B. S. In press. Diving and foraging of elephant seal bulls. Marine Mammal ScienceGoogle Scholar
Fowler, C. W. 1990. Density dependence in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). Marine Mammal Science 6(3): 171–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, C. W. and Baba, N. 1991. Entanglement studies, St Paul Island, 1990 Juvenile Male Northern Fur Seals. Processed Report 91–01, Alaska Fisheries Science Center.Google Scholar
Fowler, C. W., DeMaster, D. P., Braham, H. W., Smith, T. D., MacCall, A. D. and Scott, G. P. 1991. Priorities for assessing marine mammals incidentally taken in commercial fisheries of the United States. Processed Report 91, Alaska Fisheries Science Center.Google Scholar
Gearin, P. J., Melin, S. R., De Long, R. L., Kajimura, H. and Johnson, M.A.. In press. Harbor porpoise interactions with a Chinook set-net fishery in Washington State. In Perrin, W. and Brownell, R. (editors). Mortality of cetaceans in passive fishing nets and traps. Cambridge, International Whaling Commission (Special Issue).Google Scholar
Gjernes, T., McKinnell, S., Yatsu, A., Hayase, S., Ito, J., Nagao, K., Hatanaka, H., Ogi, H., Dahlberg, M., Jones, L., Wetherall, J. and Gould, P. 1990. Final report of squid and bycatch observations in the Japanese drift net fishery forneon flying squid (Ommastrephesbartrami), 0612, 1989 observer program. Unpublished report available through the US Department of Commerce, NOAA, NMFS, 1335 East-West Highway, Silver Springs, MD 20910.)Google Scholar
Hammond, P. S., Mizroch, S. A. and Donovan, G. P. (editors). 1990. Individual recognition of cetaceans: use of natural marks to assess cetacean population parameters. Cambridge, International Whaling Commission (Special Issue 12).Google Scholar
Jeffries, S. J., De Long, R. L., Gearin, P. J., Kajimura, H. and Melin, S. R. 1989. California sea lion capture and translation: a solution tofishery interactions? Eighth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, 7–11 12 1989, Pacific Grove, CA(Abstr.)Google Scholar
Kajimura, H. (editor). In press. Harbour porpoise abundance and interactions with Makah salmon set net fishery in coastal Washington waters, 1988–89. US Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Report.Google Scholar
Merrick, R. L., Ferm, L. M., Everitt, R., Ream, R. R. and Lessard, L. 1991. Aerial and ship based surveys of northern sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands during June and July 1990. US Department of Commerce. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS F/NWC 196.Google Scholar
Miller, R. V. 1990. The Bering Sea connection: The US USSR Marine Mammal Project. Alaska's Wildlife 22(5): 710.Google Scholar
National Marine Mammal Laboratory. 1991. Endangered whales: status update. A report on the 5-year status of stocks review under the 1978 amendments to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Unpublished report, available through the US Department of Commerce, NOAA, NMFS, 1335 East-West Highway, Silver Springs, MD 20910.Google Scholar
Rugh, D. J. 1990. Bowhead whales reidentified through aerial photography near Point Barrow, Alaska. In Hammond, P. S., Mizroch, S. A. and Donovan, G. P. (editors). 1990. Individual recognition of cetaceans: use of natural marks to assess cetacean population parameters. Cambridge, International Whaling Commission (Special Issue 12): 289294.Google Scholar
Rugh, D. J., Miller, G. W., Withrow, D. E. and Koski, W. R. In press. Evidence of bowhead whale calving intervals establishedthrough photographic reidentif ications. Journal of MammalogyGoogle Scholar
US Department of Commerce. 1990. Listing of Stellar sea lions as threatened underthe Endangered Species Act; final rule. Federal Register 55(227): 49204–41.Google Scholar