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Foraging behavior of lactating northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) in the Commander Islands, Russia

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Abstract

We characterized the foraging behavior and habitat associations of lactating female northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) from two of four rookeries comprising the stable population on the Commander Islands (CI). The CI females included in the study were from Severo-Zapadnoe rookery (SZR in 2008 and 2009) and Servernoe rookery (SR in 2009) which are 16 km apart on the northern tip of Bering Island (BI). We used satellite-linked tags and time–depth recorders to track the animals at sea and record dive behavior. For SZR females, the average foraging trip duration, mean dive depth, and maximum travel distance for both years were 3.4 ± 1.42 days, 16 ± 9.8 m, and 85 ± 59.6 km, respectively. The same measures for SR females were 4.4 ± 1.90 days, 20 ± 9.7 m, and 159 ± 70.8 km, respectively. The mean duration of foraging trips, mean number of bouts per trip and trip duration, mean direction of foraging trips, and size of foraging areas were significantly different between females from SR and SZR. Foraging trips of females from neither rookery were associated with high chl-a concentration. Overall, females on the CI appeared to expend less time and energy during foraging trips than females on the Pribilof Islands, and this may explain why the latter population is declining while the CI population is stable.

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Acknowledgments

We thank S. Dackov, I. Blokhin, O. Stepanova, A. Stepanov., T. Shulezhko, A. Generalov, E. Chekalsky, O. Titova, S. Nikulin, I. Usatov, V. Vertyankin, E. Mamaev, S. Ryazanov, V. Burkanova, and D. Calkins for assistance with the field work. Thanks to M. Grishenko and A. Altukhov for assistance with data analysis. This study was supported by NOAA via Grants to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service), Alaska SeaLife Center, and North Pacific Wildlife Consulting. Additional support was provided by Texas A&M University, Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Geographical Institute, and the Kamchatka Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography. The study was conducted under Permits N 1194 in 2007, N79/2008-H in 2008, and N07-07/3756 in 2009 issued by the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries to the Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Geographical Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kamchatka Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Naberezhnaya 18, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, 683000

    Olga A. Belonovich

  2. Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 200 Seawolf Parkway, OCSB, Galveston, TX, USA

    Olga A. Belonovich & Randall W. Davis

  3. Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Geographical Institute, Partizanskaya St. 6, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia

    Sergey V. Fomin & Vladimir N. Burkanov

  4. National Marine Mammal Laboratory, AFSC, NMFS, NOAA, Seattle, WA, USA

    Vladimir N. Burkanov

  5. Alaska SeaLife Center, 301 Railway Ave, Seward, AK, USA

    Russel D. Andrews

  6. School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    Russel D. Andrews

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  1. Olga A. Belonovich
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  2. Sergey V. Fomin
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  3. Vladimir N. Burkanov
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  4. Russel D. Andrews
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  5. Randall W. Davis
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Correspondence to Olga A. Belonovich.

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Belonovich, O.A., Fomin, S.V., Burkanov, V.N. et al. Foraging behavior of lactating northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) in the Commander Islands, Russia. Polar Biol 39, 357–363 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1786-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1786-9

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