Prey consumption of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) off Alaska: How much prey do they require?

The effects of seasonal and regional differences in diet composition on the food requirements of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were estimated by using a bioenergetic model. The model considered differences in the energy density of the prey, and differences in digestive efficiency and the heat increment of feeding of different diets. The model predicted that Steller sea lions in southeast Alaska required 45–60% more food per day in early spring (March) than after the breeding season in late summer (August) because of seasonal changes in the energy density of the diets (along with seasonal changes in energy requirements). The southeast Alaska population, at 23,000 (±1660 SD) animals (all ages), consumed an estimated 140,000 (±27,800) t of prey in 1998. In contrast, we estimated that the 51,000 (±3680) animals making up the western Alaska population in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands consumed just over twice this amount (303,000 [±57,500] t). In terms of biomass removed in 1998 from Alaskan waters, we estimated that Steller sea lions accounted for about 5% of the natural mortality of gadids (pollock and cod) and up to 75% of the natural mortality of hexagrammids (adult Atka mackerel). These two groups of species were consumed in higher amounts than any other. The predicted average daily food requirement per individual ranged from 16 (±2.8) to 20 (±3.6) kg (all ages combined). Per capita food requirements differed by as much as 24% between regions of Alaska depending on the relative amounts of low–energy-density prey (e.g. gadids) versus high–energy-density prey (e.g. forage fish and salmon) consumed. Estimated requirements were highest in regions where Steller sea lions consumed higher proportions of low–energy-density prey and experienced the highest rates of population declin

Diets of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Southeast Alaska, 1993−1999

The diet of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) was determined from 1494 scats (feces) collected at breeding (rookeries) and nonbreeding (haulout) sites in Southeast Alaska from 1993 to 1999. The most common prey of 61 species identified were walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), Pacific salmon (Salmonidae), arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), rockfish (Sebastes spp.), skates (Rajidae), and cephalopods (squid and octopus). Steller sea lion diets at the three Southeast Alaska rookeries differed significantly from one another. The sea lions consumed the most diverse range of prey categories during summer, and the least diverse during fall. Diet was more diverse in Southeast Alaska during the 1990s than in any other region of Alaska (Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands). Dietary differences between increasing and declining populations of Steller sea lions in Alaska correlate with rates of population change, and add credence to the view that diet may have played a role in the decline of sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands

Evaluating strategies for managing anthropogenic mortality on marine mammals : an R implementation with the package RLA

Funding: ADERA provided support for salaries (MA).Bycatch, the undesirable and non-intentional catch of non-target species in marine fisheries, is one of the main causes of mortality of marine mammals worldwide. When quantitative conservation objectives and management goals are clearly defined, computer-based procedures can be used to explore likely population dynamics under different management scenarios and estimate the levels of anthropogenic removals, including bycatch, that marine mammal populations may withstand. Two control rules for setting removal limits are the Potential Biological Removal (PBR) established under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Removals Limit Algorithm (RLA) inspired from the Catch Limit Algorithm (CLA) developed under the Revised Management Procedure of the International Whaling Commission. The PBR and RLA control rules were tested in a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) framework. A key feature of PBR and RLA is to ensure conservation objectives are met in the face of the multiple uncertainties or biases that plague real-world data on marine mammals. We built a package named RLA in the R software to carry out MSE of control rules to set removal limits in marine mammal conservation. The package functionalities are illustrated by two case studies carried out under the auspices of the Oslo and Paris convention (OSPAR) (the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic) Marine Mammal Expert Group (OMMEG) in the context of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The first case study sought to tune the PBR control rule to the conservation objective of restoring, with a probability of 0.8, a cetacean population to 80% of carrying capacity after 100 years. The second case study sought to further develop a RLA to set removals limit on harbor porpoises in the North Sea with the same conservation objective as in the first case study. Estimation of the removals limit under the RLA control rule was carried out within the Bayesian paradigm. Outputs from the functions implemented in the package RLA allows the assessment of user-defined performance metrics, such as time to reach a given fraction of carrying capacity under a given level of removals compared to the time needed given no removals.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Competing Conservation Objectives for Predators and Prey: Estimating Killer Whale Prey Requirements for Chinook Salmon

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) of marine resources attempts to conserve interacting species. In contrast to single-species fisheries management, EBM aims to identify and resolve conflicting objectives for different species. Such a conflict may be emerging in the northeastern Pacific for southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) and their primary prey, Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Both species have at-risk conservation status and transboundary (Canada–US) ranges. We modeled individual killer whale prey requirements from feeding and growth records of captive killer whales and morphometric data from historic live-capture fishery and whaling records worldwide. The models, combined with caloric value of salmon, and demographic and diet data for wild killer whales, allow us to predict salmon quantities needed to maintain and recover this killer whale population, which numbered 87 individuals in 2009. Our analyses provide new information on cost of lactation and new parameter estimates for other killer whale populations globally. Prey requirements of southern resident killer whales are difficult to reconcile with fisheries and conservation objectives for Chinook salmon, because the number of fish required is large relative to annual returns and fishery catches. For instance, a U.S. recovery goal (2.3% annual population growth of killer whales over 28 years) implies a 75% increase in energetic requirements. Reducing salmon fisheries may serve as a temporary mitigation measure to allow time for management actions to improve salmon productivity to take effect. As ecosystem-based fishery management becomes more prevalent, trade-offs between conservation objectives for predators and prey will become increasingly necessary. Our approach offers scenarios to compare relative influence of various sources of uncertainty on the resulting consumption estimates to prioritise future research efforts, and a general approach for assessing the extent of conflict between conservation objectives for threatened or protected wildlife where the interaction between affected species can be quantified

The political biogeography of migratory marine predators

During their migrations, marine predators experience varying levels of protection and face many threats as they travel through multiple countries' jurisdictions and across ocean basins. Some populations are declining rapidly. Contributing to such declines is a failure of some international agreements to ensure effective cooperation by the stakeholders responsible for managing species throughout their ranges, including in the high seas, a global commons. Here we use biologging data from marine predators to provide quantitative measures with great potential to inform local, national and international management efforts in the Pacific Ocean. We synthesized a large tracking data set to show how the movements and migratory phenology of 1,648 individuals representing 14 species-from leatherback turtles to white sharks-relate to the geopolitical boundaries of the Pacific Ocean throughout species' annual cycles. Cumulatively, these species visited 86% of Pacific Ocean countries and some spent three-quarters of their annual cycles in the high seas. With our results, we offer answers to questions posed when designing international strategies for managing migratory species

Estimating the impact of bycatch and calculating bycatch limits to achieve conservation objectives as applied to harbour porpoise in the North Sea

Incidental catch, or bycatch, of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in fishing operations is an international conservation issue. The main objective of this thesis was to develop methods for determining the impact of bycatch on the state and dynamics of porpoise populations and for calculating bycatch limits that will achieve conservation objectives in the future. I applied these methods to the North Sea as a case study. First, I analysed sighting rates of harbour porpoise on seabird surveys in the North Sea during 1980-2003 to determine whether these data could provide informative time-series of relative abundance. Some general patterns and trends in sighting rates were consistent with previous studies. However, the standardised indices of abundance were relatively imprecise and thus have limited value for a monitoring framework that relies on statistical detection of trends. Second, I used a population model to integrate available data on harbour porpoise in the North Sea and to assess the dynamics of the population during 1987-2005. There was a high probability that bycatch resulted in a decrease in abundance. The estimated life history parameters suggested a limited scope for population growth even in the absence of bycatch. The model and data were not informative about maximum population growth rate or carrying capacity. The model suggested that dispersal was the most plausible explanation for observed changes in distribution within the North Sea. Third, I considered management procedures for calculating bycatch limits. I performed simulations to compare the behaviour of the procedures, to tune the procedures to specific conservation objectives and to test the robustness of the procedures to a range of uncertainties regarding population dynamics and structure, the environment, observation and implementation. Preliminary annual bycatch limits for harbour porpoise in the North Sea ranged from 187-1685 depending on the procedure, tuning and management areas used

Growth and bioenergetic models for stellar sea lions (eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska

The primary goal of my study was to develop a bioenergetic model to predict the food requirements of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). An important component of the bioenergetic model was a physical growth model. Growth models were constructed using morphometric measurements of males (> 1 year old), females (> 1 year old), and pregnant females with a foetus that had been shot on rookeries, haulouts, and in the coastal waters of southeastern Alaska, the Gulf of Alaska and along the Bering Sea ice edge between 1976 and 1989. A Richards model best described age related growth in body length and mass. Males grew (in length) over a longer period than females and exhibited a growth spurt in mass which coincided with sexual maturity. Sexual dimorphism in both body length and mass was significant by 3 years of age. The average predicted standard lengths of males and females older than 12 years were 3.04 m and 2.32 m respectively, while the average predicted weights were 681 kg and 273 kg respectively. Residuals of the size at age models indicated seasonal changes in growth rates. Young animals (<6 years old) and adult males grew little during the breeding season (May - July), and adult males did not resume growth until sometime after November. The bioenergetic model was used to estimate the food requirements of the Alaskan Steller sea lion population in the 1990's and to examine how these food requirements varied seasonally and spatially. Input included age/sex-specific energy requirements, population size/composition, and diet composition/energy content by date and region of Alaska. Error in model predictions was calculated using uncertainty in parameter values and Monte Carlo simulation methods. Food requirements were generally lowest in the summer and highest in the winter and spring mainly due to changes in activity budgets and the energy content of the diet. The mean daily food requirement of pregnant females was only marginally greater than the mean daily food requirement of non-pregnant females of the same age, but the mean daily food requirement of females nursing pups was about 70% greater than females of the same age without pups. Per capita population food requirements differed by up to 12% among regions of Alaska due to differences in the energy content of the diet. Steller sea lion predation was small relative to total walleye pollock natural mortality, but accounted for a large part of total Atka mackerel natural mortality. Of the bioenergetic, population, and diet parameters, uncertainty in bioenergetic parameters resulted in the largest error in model predictions. The model provided both a quantitative estimate of the Alaskan Steller sea lion population's food requirements and direction for future research.Science, Faculty ofZoology, Department ofGraduat

Prey consumption by Steller sea lions in Alaska: how much do they require?

The effects of seasonal and regional differences in diet composition on the food requirements of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were estimated by using a bioenergetic model. The model considered differences in the energy density of the prey, and differences in digestive efficiency and the heat increment of feeding of different diets. The model predicted that Steller sea lions in southeast Alaska required 45-60% more food per day in early spring (March) than after the breeding season in late summer (August) because of seasonal changes in the energy density of the diets (along with seasonal changes in energy requirements). The southeast Alaska population, at 23,000 (+/-1660 SD) animals (all ages), consumed an estimated 140,000 (+/-27,800) t of prey in 1998. In contrast, we estimated that the 51,000 (+/-3680) animals making up the western Alaska population in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands consumed just over twice this amount (303,000 [+/-57,500]t). In terms of biomass removed in 1998 from Alaskan waters, we estimated that Steller sea lions accounted for about 5% of the natural mortality of gadids (pollock and cod) and up to 75% of the natural mortality of hexagrammids (adult Atka mackerel). These two groups of species were consumed in higher amounts than any other. The predicted average daily food requirement per individual ranged from 16 (+/-2.8) to 20 (+/-3.6) kg (all ages combined). Per capita food requirements differed by as much as 24% between regions of Alaska depending on the relative amounts of low-energy-density prey (e.g. gadids) versus high-energy-density prey (e.g. forage fish and salmon) consumed. Estimated requirements were highest in regions where Steller sea lions consumed higher proportions of low-energy-density prey and experienced the highest rates of population decline.</p