Subject: abstract -diving behavior in Australian fur seal (fwd)

Michael Williamson (pita@whale.simmons.edu)
Thu, 1 May 1997 09:52:34 -0400 (EDT) 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
J. Michael Williamson
   Principal Investigator-WhaleNet <http://whale.wheelock.edu>
   Associate Professor-Science
   Wheelock College, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215
voice: 617.734.5200, ext. 256
fax:    617.734.8666, or 617.566.7369
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 08:29:45 -0400
From: Dagmar Fertl <Dagmar_Fertl@mms.gov>
Reply-To: Marine Mammals Research and Conservation Discussion
     <MARMAM@UVVM.UVIC.CA>
To: MARMAM@UVVM.UVIC.CA
Subject: abstract -diving behavior in Australian fur seal

     On behalf of a request made by the Marmam editors, I am posting
     abstracts for the lastest issue of Marine Mammal Science.  This is
     being cross-posted as well to the ECS mailbase.  I have included the
     mailing address of the author to whom inquiries should be directed,
     please do not send the mail to me.

     Dagmar.Fertl@mms.gov

     ********************************************************************
     Hindell, M.A. and D. Pemberton.  1997.  Successful use of a
     translocation program to investigate diving behavior in a male
     Australian fur seal, _Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus_.  Marine
     Mammal Science 13(2): 219-228.

     Department of Zoology, University of Tasmania, P.O. Box 252C, Hobart,
     Tasmania 7001, Australia

     This study reports some of the first foraging behavior data collected
     for male fur seals.  A nonbreeding male Australian fur seal,
     _Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus_, captured at a commerical salmon
     farm in southern Tasmania, Australia, was relocated 450 km from the
     site of capture.  The animal was equipped with a geolocating
     time-depth recorder that recorded diving behavior and approximate
     location for the 14.4 d that it took the seal to travel down the east
     coast of Tasmania and be recaptured at the salmon farm.  During its
     time at sea, the seal spent most of its time over the relatively
     shallow shelf waters.  It spent 30% of its time ashore on a number of
     different haul-out sites.  The deepest dive was 102 m and the maximum
     duration was 6.8 min.  "Foraging" type dives made up 31.2% of the time
     at sea and had a median duration of 2.5 min and a median depth of 14
     m.  The seal performed these dives more commonly during the latter
     part of its time at sea, while it was on the east coast.  Unlike other
     fur seal species studied to date, there was no evidence of a diurnal
     foraging pattern; it made dives at all times of the day and night.