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Seasonal use of oceanographic and fisheries management zones by juvenile southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Macquarie Island

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Abstract

The foraging distribution of marine predator populations is important for effective modelling and management of pelagic marine systems. We tracked 31 juvenile southern elephant seals from Macquarie Island (158°57′E, 54°30′S) over their annual post-moult and mid-year trips to sea. We calculated the amount of time spent in regional fisheries management areas and within bounded oceanographic regions. During the austral summer, juvenile seals spent over 90% of their time south of the Antarctic Polar Front and ~80% within fisheries management regions [Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and exclusive economic zones]. In winter, seals spent ~75% of their time in the region bounded by the Antarctic Polar Front and the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and ~60% within fisheries management regions. The time spent per region differed significantly between summer and winter. Our results demonstrate that juvenile southern elephant seals from Macquarie Island spent more time south of the Antarctic Polar Front and within fisheries management areas than previously suspected.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Australian Antarctic Division for logistic support, especially J. van den Hoff, and members of the 51st, 52nd and 53rd ANARE to Macquarie Island for their assistance during deployment and collection of the data loggers, especially K. Wheatley and M. Biuw. We also thank M. Bester, J. van den Hoff and two anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript. Data for this study was collected with Australian Antarctic Animal Ethics Committee approval (ASAC 2265 and 1171) and with Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service permits.

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  1. Corey J. A. Bradshaw

    Present address: Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, 0909, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Antarctic Wildlife Research Unit, School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 05, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia

    Iain C. Field, Corey J. A. Bradshaw & Mark A. Hindell

  2. Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia

    Harry R. Burton

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  1. Iain C. Field
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Correspondence to Iain C. Field.

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Field, I.C., Bradshaw, C.J.A., Burton, H.R. et al. Seasonal use of oceanographic and fisheries management zones by juvenile southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Macquarie Island. Polar Biol 27, 432–440 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-004-0615-3

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