Résumé
The northwest Atlantic subspecies of gray seal (Halicheorus grypus grypus) has been increasing for more than a half century and has reestablished breeding colonies in Canadian and US waters. In 2016, visual, oblique, and vertical large-format digital photographic surveys were conducted at all known breeding colonies in the northwest Atlantic. Total pup production in the northwest Atlantic was estimated to be 109,000 (SE = 17,500) pups. At 87,500 (SE = 15,100) pups, Sable Island accounts for 80% of total pup production. Regional differences in pup production trends are evident. Pup production in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia has been relatively stable. Since 2004, the rate of increase in pup production at Sable Island has slowed to about 5%–7% per year, while the newer colonies in southwest Nova Scotia and the northeastern United States are increasing rapidly. In 2016, the Muskeget Island (MA) breeding colony produced 3,900 (SE = 200) pups, making it the third largest breeding colony in the northwest Atlantic. This southward shift in production may reflect climate-mediated changes in population growth as well as reestablishment of colonies throughout the former range associated with increased protection.
| Langue d'origine | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (de-à) | 611-630 |
| Nombre de pages | 20 |
| Journal | Marine Mammal Science |
| Volume | 37 |
| Numéro de publication | 2 |
| DOI | |
| Statut de publication | Published - avr. 2021 |
| Publié à l'externe | Oui |
Note bibliographique
Funding Information:We would like to thank P. Rivard, S. Allen, and E. Josephson for analysis of the imagery and J. Johnson, E. Josephson, M. Jech, and D. Lidgard for collection of staging transect data. Logistic support for flights was provided by P. Wyatt and N. Cornell, the Canadian Coast Guard, A. Gianelli, Airborne Sensing, A. Carpenter, Parks Canada, and K. Sweeney, P. Duley, and L. Fritz helped with US Twin Otter aerial imagery. T. Staples and J. Zadroga provided boat support, and J. Bond, Province of Nova Scotia, provided GPS data. The work was supported by NOAA's Office of Science and Technology, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' survey fund under the Centre of Expertise in Marine Mammalogy (CEMAM). We are grateful for the constructive comments by Tim Barrett and Yanjun Wang and two anonymous reviewers.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank P. Rivard, S. Allen, and E. Josephson for analysis of the imagery and J. Johnson, E. Josephson, M. Jech, and D. Lidgard for collection of staging transect data. Logistic support for flights was provided by P. Wyatt and N. Cornell, the Canadian Coast Guard, A. Gianelli, Airborne Sensing, A. Carpenter, Parks Canada, and K. Sweeney, P. Duley, and L. Fritz helped with US Twin Otter aerial imagery. T. Staples and J. Zadroga provided boat support, and J. Bond, Province of Nova Scotia, provided GPS data. The work was supported by NOAA's Office of Science and Technology, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' survey fund under the Centre of Expertise in Marine Mammalogy (CEMAM). We are grateful for the constructive comments by Tim Barrett and Yanjun Wang and two anonymous reviewers.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. Marine Mammal Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Marine Mammalogy.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Aquatic Science
ODD de l’ONU
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