Reaction of Harbor Seals to Cruise Ships

Abstract: The largest aggregations of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in Alaska, USA, haul out on floating ice in tidewater glacial fjords. Seals use these fjords in peak numbers during the critical periods of pupping, breeding, and molting when visits by tour ships also peak. Documented and suspected declines of harbor seals in fjords with rising vessel traffic underscore the need to better understand possible impacts, particularly in areas where ship visits have risen substantially in the past 2 decades. We examined the interruption of haul-out bouts of harbor seals due to approaching cruise ships in Disenchantment Bay, Alaska. We conducted observations from cruise ships and focused on disturbance of seals as evidenced by seals flushing into the water from the floating ice on which they rested. We investigated rate of flushing in relation to vessel distance, approach angle, group size, and seal type (mother, pup, or other). Using a survival-regression analysis, we found that the risk of disturbing harbor seals increased when ships approached within 500 m; seals approached as close as 100 m were 25 times more likely to enter the water than seals 500 m from a ship. Seals were 4 times more prone to enter the water when ships were approaching directly rather than passing abeam. Seals responded similarly regardless of group size or seal type. Energetic models indicated a potential to disrupt energy balance and cause thermal stress in disturbed pups if they spent >50% of their time in ice-chilled water. Studies at non-glacial sites suggest that pups spend 40–70% of their time in the water. Voluntary guidelines for approaching seals in Alaska recommend that cruise ships approach ≥91 m (100 yards), a distance at which we show 90% of seals would flush into the water. Our findings indicate a need to develop regulations to maintain a 500-m separation between cruise ships and seals in all Alaskan glacial fjords.     

基于ESDA的西北太平洋柔鱼资源空间热点区域及其变动研究

以西北太平洋(150°E—160°E、38°N—45°N)柔鱼Ommastrephes bartramii为研究对象,以2007和2010年鱿钓渔业的原始点位数据为基础,利用常规统计和探索性空间数据分析(ESDA)中的全局空间自相关分析方法,对西北太平洋柔鱼资源空间分布及其变动进行了研究。结果表明,西北太平洋柔鱼资源呈现较强的聚集分布特征,但不同空间位置差异较大。利用GIS和ESDA的局部自相关方法进行了柔鱼资源热冷点空间分布的制图,结果显示2007年研究区存在3个显著的热点和1个冷点,2010年与之存在较为明显的差异,具有1个热点和4个冷点。变化检测分析表明,两个年份间出现1个热点区域和1个冷点区域未发生变化,另有2个区域从2007年热点变成2010年冷点;此外,非热冷点之间的变动在研究区占据了主导地位。景观指数分析表明,研究区柔鱼资源热冷点格局的复杂性和自相似性并不高,但其异质性和聚集性非常强,且整体性和凝聚度均很高。分析认为,2007年西北太平洋柔鱼渔区的形成受温度和海流的影响,近一半作业渔区产量相对较高,但并未充分保证空间热点的大面积形成,空间热点和冷点分布面积大致相当;2010年整个西北太平洋柔鱼渔场受亲潮势力影响,空间热点较为集中、空间冷点较多且分散。     

Food habits of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) as an indicator of invasive species in San Francisco Bay,California

The diet of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) in San Francisco Bay (SFB), California, was determined from July 2007 to July 2008 using prey hard parts recovered from 442 scats collected at five haul‐out sites. Twenty‐two species of fish and one species of crustacean were identified, but harbor seals primarily ate a nonnative invasive species, yellowfin goby (Acanthogobius flavimanus), which increased in dietary importance since the diet was last studied in 1991/1992. Additionally, another nonnative invasive fish species, chameleon goby (Tridentiger trigonocephalus), was found for the first time in the diet of harbor seals in SFB. Harbor seal diet was statistically different between years (1991/1992 and 2007/2008), between the pupping and nonpupping seasons, and between North SFB and South SFB haul‐out locations. The diet of harbor seals was significantly correlated with fish species caught in trawl surveys conducted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) during the same time periods as this study (2007/2008). Harbor seals currently are influencing the health of the SFB ecosystem in a positive manner by consuming large quantities of nonnative invasive fish species.