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ESTIMATION OF AGE-SPECIFIC PROBABILITIES OF FIRST RETURN AND ANNUAL SURVIVAL RATES FOR THE MALE GRAY SEAL (HALICHOERUS GRYPUS) ON SABLE ISLAND FROM CAPTURE-RECAPTURE DATA |
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| Authors: | Micheline Manske Wayne T Stobo Carl J Schwarz |
| Institution: | Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada;Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, P. O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2, Canada;Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada E-mail: |
| Abstract: | We used a longitudinal capture-recapture study to estimate the age-specific probabilities of first return to the breeding colony and annual survival rates for male gray seals ( Halichoerus grypus ), based on resightings of seals branded as young on Sable Island. We estimated that the average age of first returns for seals born in 1969–1970 to be 9.1 (SE 0.4) yr; for seals born in 1973–1974 it is estimated to be 9.8 (SE 0.2) yr. The estimated annual survival rate of these males was estimated to be 0.976 (SE 0.003). |
| Keywords: | gray seal Halichoerus grypus breeding rates capture-recapture mark-recapture mark-resight Jolly-Seber local recruitment return rates |