Anne Hoover-Miller Alaska SeaLife Center Photo: DW Miller
Dec 27, 2015
Anne Hoover-Miller
Alaska SeaLife Center
Photo: DW Miller
Gulf of Alaska Harbor Seal Trend: Gulf of Alaska Harbor Seal Trend: Tugidak IslandTugidak Island
Tugidak Island 1974-1990’s - 90% 1994-2000: Molt 3.0%/yr Pups 5.4%/yr
Kodiak Island area 1993-2002 7.2%/yr
From: Pendleton and Wolfe 2005Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Harbor Seal Population Trend: Harbor Seal Population Trend: Prince William SoundPrince William Sound
PWS 1984-1997 - 63% 1990-1999 - 3.1%/yr 2000-2004 ?
From: Pendleton and Wolfe 2005Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Kenai Fjords Study AreasKenai Fjords Study Areas
Kenai Fjords RegionKenai Fjords Region
– Focal areas:Focal areas:•Aialik Bay: Glacial IceAialik Bay: Glacial Ice
•Day Harbor: Land Day Harbor: Land HauloutsHaulouts
– Regional SurveysRegional Surveys
Aialik Bay: Seals on Ice
Tidewater Glacier Habitat
• Aialik Glacier
• Head of 30 km long fjord
• Pedersen Glacier
• Abuts tidally influenced lake
• Counts have been conducted intermittently since 1979
B. Hoover
Glacier Habitats Differ
Aialik Glacier Pedersen Glacier
B. Hoover
Aialik Glacier: Ice on the move
Pedersen LakePedersen Lake
Past Research: 1979-2001
1979-1981: – Behavior and Ecology of Harbor Seals Inhabiting
Glacial Ice in Aialik Bay (Hoover 1983)
• Population dynamics• Demography• Habitat use
– Response of Seals to Human Disturbance (Murphy and Hoover 1981)
NPS continued monitoring, with emphasis in 1989, 1994, and 1995.
Remote Video Monitoring
– Ecology & Population Biology
– Glacier Ice Environments
– Human Interactions
Caroline Jezierski Poster
Aerial Surveys
Current Research: 2002-2005
2002-2005: 2002-2005: Remote Video MonitoringRemote Video Monitoring
• Camera control commands sent from ASLC to cameras via UHF transmissions
• Video transmission received via microwave
Aialik Bay Trends:1979-2005Total Seals
Pups
1980-1989 - 84% (17%/yr)1989-2002 Stable2002-2005 +90% (45%/yr)
1980-1989 - 74% (13%/yr)1989-1994 -12%/yr2003-2005 +3%/yr
Total Seals Total Seals (Molt) 2002-2005(Molt) 2002-2005
Pups Pups 2002-20052002-2005
Aialik Bay Trends: 2002-2005
Molt:• 1,165 seals in 2004• 1,508 seals in 2005
_______
30% Regional Increase
during Molt
10 25 37 30 4788 93 64 6353
78120
52 42
103 61 1073665
55
82 182 22 22
43
123141
100
15
225
443
422336
138
55
177
207
149
200
331
162
129
7095 223
184
330
295
388
213
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
4/29/2005 5/29/2005 6/28/2005 7/28/2005 8/27/2005
McCarty Fjord
Northwestern Fjord
Aialik Bay
Outer Coast
Day Harbor
Resurrection Bay
2004
2005Pupping, Excluding McCarty Fjord:
• 541 seals in 2004• 546 seals in 2005
_______
Similar numbers during Pupping
Proportion of Tugidak, Aialik, Day Harbor Proportion of Tugidak, Aialik, Day Harbor and Prince William Soundand Prince William Sound
(relative to 1983): 1976-2005(relative to 1983): 1976-2005
Proportion of Harbor Seals Relative to 1983 at Three Haulouts in the Central Gulf of Alaska
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
Year
Pro
port
ion
of
1983
Cou
nt
Aialik Bay Day Harbor Tugidak Is Prince William Sound
Proportion of Harbor Seals Relative to 1983 at Four Haulouts in the Central Gulf of Alaska
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005
Year
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f 1
98
3 C
ou
nt
Aialik Bay Day Harbor Tugidak Is Prince William Sound
1983-2005How similar are trends throughout the Gulf of Alaska?
Proportion of AT1 Pod Killer Whales Proportion of AT1 Pod Killer Whales relative to seal populations they prey on relative to seal populations they prey on
1983-20051983-2005
Proportion of Harbor Seals Relative to 1983 at Three Haulouts in the Central Gulf of Alaska
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005
Year
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f 1
98
3 C
ou
nt
Aialik Bay Day Harbor Prince William Sound AT1 Pod Killer Whales
EV
OS
SummarySummary
Population decline of harbor seals included land and glacial ice habitats on the outer Kenai Peninsula
Magnitude of decline since 1983 shows similarities between areas
Recovery in each area shows different trajectories that may be related to local environmental change (bottom-up factors)
Stabilization and recovery in the Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound coincides with reduced numbers of killer whales (top-down effects).
Collaborators
• P. Armato, OASLC, NPS
• S. Atkinson, ASLC, UAF/SFOS
• SeeMore Wildlife Inc.
• Port Graham Corporation
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Maritime Wildlife Refuge System
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Permits: NMFS 881-1673 881-1724, NPS KEFJ-2004-SCI-0001, USFWS745-03-045
Field and Video Monitoring Personnel:
R. Day, K. Oakley, T. Carpenter, D. Miller, C. Miller, M. Tetreau, J. Pfeiffenberger, S. Pfeiffenberger, G. Smith, K. Link, W. Bryden, J.Welsh, S. Brennan, P. Salzman, K. Wilson,
K. Felitz, S. Aughe, L. O’Brien, L. Dickinson, J. Follin, T. Mauro, M. Sternberg, K. Heffron, R. Pearce and C. Jezierski.