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Population changes of Antarctic fur seals at Nyrøysa, Bouvetøya

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Abstract

Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella pup production at Nyrøysa, Bouvetøya was estimated to be approximately 15,000 per annum during each of four summers from 1996 to 2002, indicating a total population of about 66,000. While the Bouvetøya population is the second largest for this species, pup production at this site still accounts for only 2.4% of the global total. This population experienced a mean annual rate of increase of 30.6% for the period 1989–1996, perhaps due, in part, to significant immigration, but has been stable since 1996. Historical accounts of significant numbers of animals being present towards the end of the period of sealing (C.1800–1930), indicate that the geographic isolation and inaccessibility of this site may have resulted in the Bouvetøya population being one of three populations that survived a series of periods of extreme exploitation of this species.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed by the Norwegian Polar Institute and NORAD. Further support was provided by the Mammal Research Institute of the University of Pretoria. We thank Alf Næstvold, Bruce Dyer, Wendy Wilson, Bianca Harck, Ludvig Krag and Brian Flascas for their valuable assistance in the field and Ian Gjertz for his administrative contributions to the fur seal work at Bouvetøya. We are grateful to Peter Shaughnessy, Rob Harcourt and an anonymous reviewer for their comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    G. J. G. Hofmeyr, S. P. Kirkman & M. N. Bester

  2. Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    B. A. Krafft, C. Lydersen & K. M. Kovacs

Authors
  1. G. J. G. Hofmeyr
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  2. B. A. Krafft
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  3. S. P. Kirkman
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  4. M. N. Bester
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  5. C. Lydersen
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  6. K. M. Kovacs
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Correspondence to G. J. G. Hofmeyr.

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Hofmeyr, G.J.G., Krafft, B.A., Kirkman, S.P. et al. Population changes of Antarctic fur seals at Nyrøysa, Bouvetøya. Polar Biol 28, 725–731 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0732-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0732-7

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