Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Linking marine predator diving behavior to local prey fields in contrasting habitats in a subarctic glacial fjord

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Foraging theory predicts that animals will adjust their foraging behavior in order to maximize net energy intake and that trade-offs may exist that can influence their behavior. Although substantial advances have been made with respect to the foraging ecology of large marine predators, there is still a limited understanding of how predators respond to temporal and spatial variability in prey resources, primarily due to a lack of empirical studies that quantify foraging and diving behavior concurrently with characteristics of prey fields. Such information is important because changes in prey availability can influence the foraging success and ultimately fitness of marine predators. We assessed the diving behavior of juvenile female harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) and prey fields near glacial ice and terrestrial haulout sites in Glacier Bay (58°40′N, −136°05′W), Alaska. Harbor seals captured at glacial ice sites dived deeper, had longer dive durations, lower percent bottom time, and generally traveled further to forage. The increased diving effort for seals from the glacial ice site corresponded to lower prey densities and prey at deeper depths at the glacial ice site. In contrast, seals captured at terrestrial sites dived shallower, had shorter dive durations, higher percent bottom time, and traveled shorter distances to access foraging areas with much higher prey densities at shallower depths. The increased diving effort for seals from glacial ice sites suggests that the lower relative availability of prey may be offset by other factors, such as the stability of the glacial ice as a resting platform and as a refuge from predation. We provide evidence of differences in prey accessibility for seals associated with glacial ice and terrestrial habitats and suggest that seals may balance trade-offs between the costs and benefits of using these habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abookire AA, Piatt JF, Speckman SG (2002) A nearsurface, daytime occurrence of two mesopelagic fish species (Stenobrachius leucopsarus and Leuroglossus schmidti) in a glacial fjord. Fish Bull 100:376–380

    Google Scholar 

  • Arimitsu ML, Piatt JF, Litzow MA, Abookire AA, Romano MD, Robards MD (2008) Distribution and spawning dynamics of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in Glacier Bay, Alaska: a cold water refugium. Fish Oceanogr 17:137–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin D, Bowen WD, McMillan JI, Iverson SJ (2006) Linking movement, diving, and habitat to foraging success in a large marine predator. Ecology 87:3095–3108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benoit-Bird KJ, Battaile BC, Nordstrom CA, Trites AW (2013) Foraging behavior of northern fur seals closely matches the hierarchical patch scales of prey. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 479:283–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell GM, Pendleton GW (2008) Estimating age of harbor seals Phoca vitulina with incisor teeth and morphometrics. Mar Mamm Sci 24:577–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell GM, Womble JN, Pendleton GW, Karpovich SW, Gende SM, Herreman JK (2011) Use of glacial ice and terrestrial habitats by harbor seals in Glacier Bay, Alaska: costs and benefits. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 429:277–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boness DJ, Bowen WD, Oftedal OT (1994) Evidence of a maternal foraging cycle resembling that of otariid seals in a small phocid, the harbor seals. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 34:95–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen WD, Boness DJ, Iverson SJ (1999) Diving behaviour of lactating harbour seals and their pups during maternal foraging trips. Can J Zool 77:978–988

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen WD, Tulley D, Boness DJ, Bulheier BM, Marshall GJ (2002) Prey dependent foraging tactics and prey profitability in a marine mammal. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 244:235–245

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd IL (1999) Foraging and provisioning in Antarctic fur seals: interannual variability in time-energy budgets. Behav Ecol 10:198–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd IL, Lunn NJ, Barton T (1991) Time budgets and foraging characteristics of lactating Antarctic fur seals. J Anim Ecol 60:577–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd IL, Arnould JPY, Barton T, Croxall JP (1994) Foraging behavior of Antarctic fur sea lions during periods of contrasting prey abundance. J Anim Ecol 63:703–713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bray JR, Curtis JT (1957) An ordination of the upland forest communities in southern Wisconsin. Ecol Monogr 27:325–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown RF, Mate BR (1983) Abundance, movements, and feeding habits of harbor seals, Phoca vitulina, at Netarts and Tillamook Bays, Oregon. Fish Bull 81:291–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns JM (1999) The development of diving behavior in juvenile Weddell seals: pushing the physiological limits in order to survive. Can J Zool 77:737–747

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns JM, Costa DP, Frost K, Harvey JT (2005) Development of body oxygen stores in harbor seals: effects of age, mass, and body composition. Physiol Biochem Zool 78:1057–1068

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calambokidis JB, Taylor BL, Carter SD, Steiger GH, Dawson PK, Antrim LD (1987) Distribution and haul-out behavior of harbor seals in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Can J Zool 65:1391–1396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa DP (2008) A conceptual model of the variation in parental attendance in response to environmental fluctuation: foraging energetics of lactating sea lions and fur seals. Aquat Conserv 17:S44–S52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croxall JP, Everson I, Kooyman GL, Ricketts C, Davis RW (1985) Fur seal diving behavior in relation to vertical distribution of krill. J Anim Ecol 54:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csepp DJ, Vollenweider JJ, Sigler MF (2011) Seasonal abundance and distribution of pelagic and demersal fishes in southeastern Alaska. Fisheries Res 108:307–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuthill I (1991) Field experiments in animal behaviour: methods and ethics. Anim Behav 42:1007–1014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis RW, Fuiman LA, Williams RM, Collier SO, Hagey WP, Kanatous SB, Kohin S, Horning M (1999) Hunting behavior of a marine mammal beneath the Antarctic fast ice. Science 238:993–995

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eguchi T, Harvey JT (2005) Diving behavior of the Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardi) in Monterey Bay, California. Mar Mamm Sci 21:283–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etherington LL, Hooge PN, Hooge ER, Hill DF (2007) Oceanography of Glacier Bay, Alaska: implications for biological patterns in a glacial fjord estuary. Estuaries Coasts 30:927–944

    Google Scholar 

  • Fahlman A, Hastie GD, Rosen DAS, Naito Y, Trites AW (2008) Buoyancy does not affect diving metabolism during shallow dives in Steller sea lions Eumatopias jubatus. Aquat Biol 3:147–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldkamp SD, DeLong RL, Antonelis GA (1989) Diving patterns of California sea lions, Zalophus californianus. Can J Zool 67:872–883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Field WO (1947) Glacier recession in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, Alaska. Geogr Rev 37:369–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost BW, McCrone LE (1979) Vertical distribution, diet vertical migration, and abundance of some mesopelagic fishes in the eastern subarctic Pacific Ocean in summer. Fish Bull US 76:751–770

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost KJ, Simpkins MA, Lowry LF (2001) Diving behavior of subadult and adult harbor seals in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Mar Mammal Sci 17:813–834

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost KJ, Simpkins MA, Small RJ, Lowry LF (2006) Development of diving by harbor seal pups in two regions of Alaska: use of the water column. Mar Mamm Sci 22:617–643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallon SL, Bailleul F, Charassin J-B, Guinet C, Bost C-A, Handrich Y, Hindell M (2013) Identifying foraging events in deep-diving southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, using acceleration data loggers. Deep Sea Res II 88–89:14–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gjertz I, Lydersen C, Wiig Ø (2001) Distribution and diving of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in Svalbard. Polar Biol 24:209–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grigg EK, Klimley AP, Allen SG, Green DE, Elliot-Fisk DL, Markowitz H (2009) Spatial and seasonal relationships between Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) and their prey, at multiple scales. Fish Bull 107:359–372

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigg EK, Allen SG, Craven-Green DE, Klimley AP, Markowitz H, Elliot-Fisk DL (2012) Foraging distribution of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) in a highly impacted estuary. J Mamm 93:282–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall DK, Benson CS, Field WO (1995) Changes of Glaciers in Glacier Bay, Alaska using ground and satellite measurements. Phys Geogr 16:27–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Härkönen TJ (1987) Influence of feeding on haul-out patterns and sizes of sub-populations in harbour seals. Neth J Sea Res 21:331–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hastings KK, Frost KJ, Simpkins MA, Pendleton GW, Swain UG, Small RJ (2004) Regional differences in diving behavior of harbor seals in the Gulf of Alaska. Can J Zool 82:1755–1773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herreman JK, Blundell GM, Ben-David M (2009) Evidence of bottom-up control of diet driven by top-down processes in a declining harbor seal Phoca vitulina richardi population. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 374:287–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill DF, Ciavola S, Etherington L, Klaar M (2009) Estimation of freshwater runoff into Glacier Bay, Alaska and incorporation into a tidal circulation model. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 82:95–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hindell M (2008) To breathe or not to breathe: optimal strategies for finding prey in the dark, three-dimensional environment. J Anim Ecol 77:847–849

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollander M, Wolfe DA (1973) Nonparametric statistical methods. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooker SK, Boyd IL, Jessop M, Cox O, Blackwell J, Boveng PL, Bengston JL (2002) Monitoring the prey-field of a marine predator: combining digital imaging with datalogging tags. Mar Mamm Sci 18:680–697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooker SK, Biuw M, McConnell BJ, Miller PJO, Sparling CE (2007) Bio-logging science: logging and relaying physical and biological data using animal-attached tags. Deep Sea Res II 54:177–182

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoover-Miller A, Atkinson SA, Conlon S, Prewitt J, Armato P (2011) Persistent decline in the abundance of harbor seals, Phoca vitulina richardsi, over three decades in Aialik Bay, an Alaskan tidewater glacial fjord. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 424:259–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horning M, Mellish J-A (2012) Predation on an upper-trophic marine predator, the Steller sea lion, evaluating high juvenile mortality in a density-dependent conceptual framework. PLoS ONE 7(1):e30173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030173

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horning M, Trillmich F (1997) Ontogeny of diving behaviour in the Galápagos fur seal. Behaviour 134:1211–1257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horning M, Trillmich F (1999) Lunar cycles in diel prey migrations exert a stronger effect on the diving of juveniles than adult Galápagos fur seals. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 266:1127–1132

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hothorn T, Hornik K, van de Wiel MA, Zeileis A (2008) Implementing a class of permutation tests: the coin package. J Stat Softw 28(8):1–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston AI, Carbone C (1992) The optimal allocation of time during the diving cycle. Behav Ecol 3:255–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ichii R, Bengtson JL, Boveng PL, Takao Y, Jansen JK, Hiruki-Raring LM, Cameron MF, Okamura H, Hayashi T, Naganobu M (2007) Provisioning strategies of Antarctic fur seals and chinstrap penguins produce different responses to distribution of common prey and habitat. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 344:277–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kooyman GL (1989) Diverse divers: physiology and behavior. In: Johansen K, Farner DS (eds) Zoophysiology series, vol 23. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Krafft BA, Lydersen C, Gjertz I, Kovacs KM (2002) Diving behavior of sub-adult harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) at Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard. Polar Biol 25:230–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruskal JB (1964) Nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling: a numerical method. Psychometrica 29:1–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lea M-A, Wilson B (2006) Techniques for real-time, active tracking of sea lions. In: Trites AW, Atkinson SK, DeMaster DP, Fritz LW, Gelatt TS, Rea LD, Wynne KM (eds) Sea lions of the world. Alaska Sea Grant College Program. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

  • Lea M-A, Hindell M, Guinet C (2002) Variability in the diving activity of Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, at Iles Kerguelen. Polar Biol 23:269–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Lea M-A, Guinet C, Cherel Y, Duhamel G, Dubroca L, Pruvost P, Hindell M (2006) Impacts of climatic anomalies on provisioning strategies of a Southern Ocean predator. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 310:77–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lesage V, Hammill MO, Kovacs KM (1999) Functional classification of harbor seal dives using depth profiles, swimming velocity, and an index of foraging success. Can J Zool 77:74–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowry LF, Frost KJ, Ver Hoef JM, DeLong RA (2001) Movements of satellite-tagged subadult and adult harbor seals in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Mar Mamm Sci 17:835–861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mather PM (1976) Computational methods of multivariate analysis in physical geography. Wiley, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathews EA (2002) Diet of harbor seals at a glacial fjord and a terrestrial haulout in Glacier Bay, 1996–2001. Unpublished report to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Resource Management Division, P.O. Box 140, Gustavus, AK 99801

  • Mathews EA, Adkison MD (2010) The role of predation by Steller sea lions in a large population decline of harbor seals. Mar Mamm Sci 26:803–836

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathews EA, Pendleton GW (2006) Declines in harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) numbers in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, 1992–2002. Mar Mamm Sci 22:170–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathews EA, Womble JN, Pendleton GW, Jemison LA, Maniscalco JM, Streveler G (2011) Population expansion and colonization of Steller sea lions in the Glacier Bay region of southeastern Alaska: 1970s to 2009. Mar Mamm Sci 27:852–880

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matkin DR, Straley JM, Gabriele CM (2007) Killer whale feeding ecology and non-predatory interactions with other marine mammals in the Glacier Bay region of Alaska.  In: Piatt JF, Gende SM (eds) Proceedings of the Fourth Glacier Bay Science Symposium, October 26–28, 2004.  US Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5047, pp 155–158

  • McCune B, Grace JB (2002) Analysis of ecological communities. MJM Software Design, Gleneden Beach

    Google Scholar 

  • McCune B, Mefford MJ (2011) PC-ORD multivariate analysis of ecological data version 6.0. MjM software. Gleneden Beach, Oregon

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrick RL, Loughlin TR, Calkins DG (1987) Decline in the abundance of the northern sea lions in Alaska, 1956–1986. Fish Bull 85:351–365

    Google Scholar 

  • Mielke PW, Berry KJ (2001) Permutation methods: a distance function approach., Springer series in statisticsSpringer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery RA, Hoef Ver, Boveng PL (2007) Spatial modeling of haul-out site use by harbor seals in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 341:257–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naito Y, Costa DP, Adachi T, Robinson PW, Fowler M, Takahashi A (2013) Unravelling the mysteries of a mesopelagic diet: a large apex predator specializes on small prey. Funct Ecol. doi:10.1111/1365-2435.12083

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordstrom CA (2002) Haul-out selection by Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii): isolation and perceived predation risk. Mar Mamm Sci 18:194–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parrish FA, Craig MP, Ragen TJ, Marshall GJ, Buhleier BM (2000) Identifying diurnal foraging habitat of endangered Hawaiian monk seals using a seal-mounted video camera. Mar Mamm Sci 16:392–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parrish FA, Marshall GJ, Littnan CL, Heithaus M, Canja S, Becker B, Braun B, Antonelis GA (2005) Foraging of juvenile monk seals at French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii. Mar Mamm Sci 21:93–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitcher KW (1990) Major decline in the number of harbor seals on Tugidak Island, Gulf of Alaska. Mar Mamm Sci 6:121–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prewitt JS, Freistroffer DV, Scheer JF, Hammill MO, Burns JM (2010) Postnatal development of muscle biochemistry in nursing harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups: limitations to diving behavior? J Comp Physiol B 180:757–766

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Renner M, Arimitsu ML, Piatt JF (2012) Structure of marine predator and prey communities along environmental gradients in a glaciated fjord. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 69:2029–2045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robards MD, Drew GS, Piatt JF, Anson JM, Abookire AA, Bodkin J, Hooge P, Speckman S (2003) Ecology of selected marine communities in Glacier Bay: zooplankton, forage fish, seabirds and marine mammals. United States Geological Survey-Alaska Science Center, Department of the Interior. Anchorage, Alaska, 156 p

  • Saracco JF, Gabriele CM, Neilson JL (2013) Population dynamics and demography of humpback whales in Glacier Bay and Icy Strait, Alaska. Northwest Nat 94:187–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreer JF, Kovacs KM (1997) Allometry of diving capacity in air-breathing vertebrates. Can J Zool 75:339–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharples RJ, Moss SE, Patterson TA, Hammond PS (2012) Spatial variation in foraging behaviour of a marine top predator (Phoca vitulina) determined by a large-scale satellite tagging program. PLoS ONE 7(5):e37216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sigler MF, Womble JN, Vollenweider JJ (2004) Availability to Steller sea lions of an ephemeral prey resource, a pre-spawning aggregation of eulachon in southeastern Alaska. Can J Fish Aquat 61:1475–1484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigler MF, Tollit DJ, Vollenweider JJ, Thedinga JF, Csepp DJ, Womble JN, Wong MA, Rehberg MJ, Trites AW (2009) Foraging response of a marine predator, the Steller sea lion, to seasonal changes in prey availability. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 388:243–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Small RJ, Lowry LF, Ver Hoef JM, Frost KJ, Delong RA, Rehberg MJ (2005) Differential movements by harbor seal pups in contrasting Alaska environments. Mar Mamm Sci 21:671–694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Small RJ, Boveng PL, Byrd GV, Withrow DW (2008) Harbor seal population decline in the Aleutian Archipelago. Mar Mamm Sci 24:845–863

    Google Scholar 

  • Staniland IJ, Gales N, Warren NL, Robinson SL, Goldsworthy SD, Casper RM (2010) Geographic variation in the behaviour of a central place forager: Antarctic fur seals foraging in contrasting environments. Mar Biol 157:2383–2396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens DW, Krebs JW (1986) Foraging theory. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson D, Fedak MA (2001) How long should a dive last? A simple model of foraging decisions by breath-hold divers in a patchy environment. Anim Behav 61:287–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson PM, Fedak MA, McConnell BJ, Nicholas KS (1989) Seasonal and sex-related variation in the activity patterns of common seals (Phoca vitulina). J Appl Ecol 26:521–535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson PM, Mackay A, Tollit DJ, Enderby S, Hammon PS (1998) The influence of body size and sex on characteristics of harbor seal foraging trips. Can J Zool 76:1044–1053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tollit DJ, Black AD, Thompson PM, Mackay A, Corpe HM, Wilson B, VanParijs S, Grellier K, Parlane S (1998) Variation in harbour seal diet and dive depths in relation to foraging habitat. J Zool (London) 244:209–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Towell RG, Ream RR, York AE (2006) Decline in northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) pup production on the Pribilof Islands. Mar Mamm Sci 22:486–491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Pelt TI, Piatt JF, Lance BK, Roby DD (1997) Proximate composition and energy density of some North Pacific forage fishes. Comp Biochem Physiol A Physiol 118:1393–1398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vollenweider JJ, Heintz RA, Schaufler L, Bradshaw R (2011) Seasonal cycles in whole-body proximate composition and energy content of forage fish vary with water depth. Mar Biol 158:413–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Womble JN, Conlon S (2010) Observation of Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) predation on a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) in the Glacier Bay region of southeastern Alaska. Aquat Mamm 36:129–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Womble JN, Gende SM (2013) Post-breeding migrations of a top predator, the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii), from a marine protected area in Alaska. PLoS ONE 8(2):e55386. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055386

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Womble JN, Sigler MF (2006) Seasonal availability of abundant, energy-rich prey influences the abundance and diet of a marine predator, the Steller sea lion Eumetopias jubatus. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 325:281–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Womble JN, Gende SM, Blundell GM (2007) Dive behavior of a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) in the presence of transient killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Glacier Bay National Park. Mar Mamm Sci 23:203–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Womble JN, Pendleton GW, Mathews EA, Blundell GM, Bool NM, Gende SM (2010) Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) declines continues in the rapidly changing landscape of Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, 1992–2008. Mar Mamm Sci 26:686–697

    Google Scholar 

  • Ydenberg RC, Clark CW (1989) Aerobiosis and anaerobiosis during diving by western grebes: an optimal foraging approach. J Theor Biol 139:437–449

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding and logistical support for this project was provided by the National Park Service (NPS)—Coastal Cluster Program, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, NPS-NRPP (PMIS Project # 35747), Alaska Department of Fish and Game Marine Mammal Program funded by congressional appropriations administered via grants from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Fisheries Science Center-Auke Bay Laboratory, Alaska Sealife Center, and the Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center. We sincerely thank Justin Smith (R/V Capelin), Dan Foley (R/V Steller), and Jacques Norvell (Tal Air) for safe and expert pilotage at sea and in the air. We greatly appreciate the efforts of numerous individuals (Jason Herreman, John Wells, Suzanne Conlon, Lori Polasek, Jill Prewitt, Natalie Bool, Trevor Ose, Rachel Dziuba, Shawna Karpovich, Randy Naylor, Christine Schmale, Dave Withrow, Dennis McAllister, Jennifer Burns, Jay VerHoef, Kevin White) that provided assistance with harbor seal capture and tagging efforts. J.N.W. was supported by a Mamie Markham Research Fellowship (OSU-Hatfield Marine Science Center), Munson Wildlife Fellowship, Oregon State University (OSU) Laurels Fellowship, Horace M. Albright-Conrad L. Wirth Fellowship, the OSU Marine Mammal Institute-Pinniped Ecology Applied Research Laboratory, NRAC Professional Development Grants, the NPS- Coastal Cluster Program, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Lorenzo Ciannelli, Clint Epps, Mary-Anne Lea, Dawn Wright, and three anonymous reviewers provided useful comments and discussions on previous versions of the manuscript. The findings and conclusions in the paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Reference to trade names does not imply endorsement by the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. All harbor seal capture, handling, and research were conducted under Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) permit numbers 358-1787-00 and 358-1787-01 issued to Alaska Department of Fish and Game by NOAA’s Protected Resources Division. Harbor seal capture, handling, and research were also authorized by Glacier Bay National Park under Scientific Research and Collecting permit numbers GLBA-2004-SCI-0003, GLBA-2005-SCI-0003, GLBA-2006-SCI-0003, GLBA-2007-SCI-0003, and associated Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Waivers to park regulations. Animal use protocols used in this research were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game (protocol 07-16).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, 97365, USA

    Jamie N. Womble & Markus Horning

  2. Glacier Bay Field Station, National Park Service, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA

    Jamie N. Womble & Scott M. Gende

  3. Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Douglas, AK, 99811, USA

    Gail M. Blundell

  4. National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA

    Michael F. Sigler & David J. Csepp

Authors
  1. Jamie N. Womble
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gail M. Blundell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Scott M. Gende
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Markus Horning
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michael F. Sigler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. David J. Csepp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jamie N. Womble.

Additional information

Communicated by J. D. R. Houghton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Womble, J.N., Blundell, G.M., Gende, S.M. et al. Linking marine predator diving behavior to local prey fields in contrasting habitats in a subarctic glacial fjord. Mar Biol 161, 1361–1374 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2424-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2424-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation