scholarly journals Catch history and status of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in Greenland

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aqqalu Rosving-Asvid
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Large River ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The Past ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Ice Drift ◽  
Catch Statistics

The number of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in West Greenland declined rapidly after the 1950s and the seals have now abandoned their traditional haulout locations along the Greenland west coast. However, in recent years, a previously undetected group of about 60-100 harbour seals has been observed approximately 80 km upstream in a large river, and some traditional hauloutlocations are still in use near the south-eastern tip of Greenland. A small number of harbour seals is caught annually far from any of these locations, indicating that other groups might live unnoticed. Catch statistics provide the best evidence of the presence and locations of these remnant harbour seals. Therefore efforts were made to validate the recent catch statistics and to describe the catch history for the past 60 years. The catch statistics were also used to estimate plausibleranges of past and present numbers of harbour seals based on the assumption that hunting has caused the observed decline. The total number of harbour seals in Greenland according to these estimates was about 3,000 in 1950 and fewer than 1,000 in 2007. The number of harbour seals caught in the southernmost part of Greenland has, unlike in the rest of Greenland, increased significantly in some of the recent years. This change seems to be related to changes in the amount of drift ice. Drift ice reduces the frequency of contact between hunters and harbour seals in South Greenland and above normal quantities of drift ice from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s probably allowed these seals to increase in numbers. Record low inflow of drift ice in some of the recent years, however, has resulted in record high catches, which likely have reduced the seals again. The remaining harbour seals in Greenland are few and without protection these sealsare potentially in danger of extinction.

scholarly journals Review on utilization and research on harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in Iceland

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlingur Hauksson ◽  
Sólmundur T Einarsson
Keyword(s):  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Large Dataset ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Seal Population ◽  
By Catch ◽  
Catch Statistics ◽  
Anisakid Nematodes

Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) have been harvested in Iceland since the first settlers arrived in the 9th century. Pups were generally netted, clubbed and harpooned until 1875 when general use of guns for hunting began. Seal-hunting has been traditional amongst the farms legal rights. Seal hunting was an important supplement to other economic resources. Harbour seal skins, salted ordried, were exported and large dataset of catch statistics is available from trading logbooks since the late 19th century. In the early 20th century catch was about 6,000. In the ‘bounty’ period 1982 – 1989, maximum catches were of 4,000 animals with about 350 hunters participated; in 2006 catches were only about 100 animals with 18 hunters. After 1989 the population continued to decline even though catches decreased markedly. Unreported by-catch in fishing gear, hunt for local consumption and shooting of seals swimming in salmon rivers estuaries may have kept the total removal from the stock above sustainable levels. A considerable Icelandic knowledge base had been compiled about the biology of the harbour seal since the late 16th century, with the first written reference in 1588-1589. In the last decades, research on various aspects of its biology and monitoring have been intensified, with focus on abundance, distribution, diet and nematode infestation. The main results show that the Icelandic harbour seal population - has declined annually about 5% in the period 1980-2006, - was most abundant on the NW-coast, - feeds mainly on sand-eels and gadoids, - and was less infected with anisakid nematodes than grey seals. Seal watching, as a low-consumptive indirect utilization, may represent a new economical opportunity if properly regulated.

scholarly journals Movements and site fidelity of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Kattegat, Denmark, with implications for the epidemiology of the phocine distemper virus

2012 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rune Dietz ◽  
Jonas Teilmann ◽  
Signe M. Andersen ◽  
Frank Rigét ◽  
Morten T. Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Home Range ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Swedish West Coast ◽  
Phocine Distemper Virus ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Limited Gene Flow ◽  
Satellite Tagging

Abstract Dietz, R., Teilmann, J., Andersen S. M. Rigét, F., and Olsen, M. T. 2013. Movements and site fidelity of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Kattegat, Denmark, with implications for the epidemiology of the phocine distemper virus. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70:186–195. Twenty-seven harbour seals were caught and tagged at the island of Anholt in central Kattegat, Denmark, the epicentre of the phocine distemper virus (PDV) outbreaks in 1988 and 2002 that killed 50–60% of the populations. The satellite tagging shows that harbour seals from Anholt moved widely across Kattegat with a maximum distance of 249 km from the tagging haul-out site. Overall, females travelled over a wider area compared with males [90% kernel home range (KHR) females, 5189 km2; males, 3293 km2). KHR calculated for yearlings (6414 km2) is larger than for subadults (2534 km2), which again is larger than for adult seals (1713 km2), showing a strong site fidelity, indicating limited gene flow between haul-out sites. Distances moved and home range sizes increased across autumn, peaked in February–March, and decreased through spring. During the breeding season in spring, all seals were very stationary around Anholt. The onset of the PDV epizootics in 1988 and 2002 took place when the Anholt harbour seals congregate on the Island during April. Anholt seal were also documented to have contact with infected seal locations at Hesselø, Læsø, and the Swedish west coast, although this contact takes place during winter prior to the documented summer outbreaks.

Comparison of the healing process in hot and cold brands applied to harbour seal pups (Phoca vitulina)

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Yves Daoust ◽  
G. Mark Fowler ◽  
Wayne T. Stobo
Keyword(s):  
Healing Rate ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Hair Follicles ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Macroscopic Appearance ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
Harbour Seals

Hot branding has been used for many years by researchers to identify seals from a long distance. In livestock, cold branding has been proposed as an alternative because it is thought to be less painful. The purpose of this study was to compare the healing process of hot and cold brands applied to harbour seal pups (Phoca vitulina). A total of 306 animals was branded with a unique set of four characters: three applied for 3–5 s with an iron heated to 500°C, and one applied for either 10 or 20 s with an iron frozen to –175°C. At three subsequent times over 10 weeks, 43, 41 and 51 animals, respectively, were recaptured, the macroscopic appearance of their brands recorded, and biopsies taken for microscopic examination. Cold brands had a faster healing rate than hot brands. However, they resulted in less destruction of hair follicles, and cold brands applied for 20 s caused more depigmentation. Regrowth of hair follicles could subsequently obscure brands, while depigmentation reduces the contrast between the brand and the surrounding fur. Cold brands applied for 20 s also caused more extensive deep vascular damage, which subsequently may have resulted in deeper wounds in some of these brands. Yet, macroscopically, other cold brands, or portions thereof, were almost invisible. On the basis of this short-term study, the technique of cold branding that we used in harbour seals does not appear to be as reliable as that of hot branding to provide permanent legible brands.

scholarly journals Vulnerability of harbour seals, Phoca vitulina, to transient industrial activities in the Strait of Dover

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 1015-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent J.J. Seuront ◽  
Perrine Prinzivalli
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Industrial Activities ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Seal Population ◽  
Number Of Individuals

The abundance of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) was recorded on a tidal bar in the Dover Strait off Calais, over a six-year period between 1999 and 2004. Despite clear seasonal and interannual variability in the number of individuals hauled out on the bar, underwater activities devoted to the installation of industrial wastewater pipes conducted during seven weeks 1 km away from the bar led to a dramatic decline in the number of seals hauling out. A full 19 months after the end of the operations the harbour seal population had not recovered their initial abundance. The results of this study have critical consequences on the conservation of P. vitulina in areas impacted by anthropogenic activities.

scholarly journals Introduction: The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) - a global perspective

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Bjørge ◽  
Geneviève Desportes ◽  
Gordon T Waring ◽  
Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
The North ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Baltic

Introduction to Volume 8: Harbour seals in the North Atlantic and the Baltic 

scholarly journals Observations on seals on the island of Surtsey in the period 1980-2012

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 41-43
Author(s):  
Erlingur Hauksson
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Site ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
The Other ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Halichoerus Grypus ◽  
Grey Seal ◽  
The South ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Harbour Seals

Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus Fabricius) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina L.) have been surveyed on the coasts of Iceland since 1980. During the period 1980-2012, both seal species have declined markedly in numbers at the Icelandic coast. The grey seal has established a considerable breeding site on the northern spit of the Surtsey island. This is at present one of the biggest grey seal rookeries on the southern shores of Iceland, with estimated about 60 pups born there in the autumn of 2012. On the other hand, the harbour seal has not been numerous on Surtsey during breeding time in the summer. Breeding sites of harbour seals on the south coast of Iceland closest to Surtsey are in the estuaries of the glacial rivers Ölfusá, Þjórsá, Markarfljót and Kúðafljót. Harbour seals, however, haul-out in great numbers on the northern shores of Surtsey during the winter, presumably using the island as a resting place after foraging in the adjacent waters.

The seal louse, Echinophthirius horridus: an intermediate host of the seal heartworm, Dipetalonema spirocauda (Nematoda)

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 1457-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Geraci ◽  
J. F. Fortin ◽  
D. J. St. Aubin ◽  
B. D. Hicks
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
First Report ◽  
Harbour Seals

Heartworms, Dipetalonema spirocauda, are common in harbour seals, Phoca vitulina, that strand along the New England coast. Lice, Echinophthirius horridus, taken from a stranded harbour seal infected with seal heartworm carried three developmental stages of D. spirocauda. This is the first report of an intermediate host of the seal heartworm.

scholarly journals A note on the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in the Faroe Islands

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjarni Mikkelsen
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
The Other ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
Grey Seal ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Harbour Seals

The harbour seal was exterminated as a breeding species in the Faroe Islands in the mid-19th Century. Historical sources document that the harbour seal used to be a common inhabitant of the sheltered fjords where breeding occurred. It was reported to be more common than the grey seal, the other pinniped specie resident around the Faroes. But the number of harbour seals seemingly decreased as human settlements and other anthropogenic activities increased. Seal hunting was apparently already introduced by the Norse that arrived on the islands in the 7th century, a hunt that finally lead to the extermination of the harbour seal. For the last 40 years the harbour seal has only been positively identified twice in the Faroe Islands, in 2001 and 2005.

scholarly journals Monitoring trends in the abundance of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Icelandic waters

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlingur Hauksson
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Area ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Northwest Coast ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Seal Population ◽  
Icelandic Waters

Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) numbers along the coast of Iceland were monitored by aerial survey in the period 1980-2006. Trends in the abundance of the harbour seal population on the whole coast and in coastal regions of Iceland waters were estimated using ANCOVA on the survey counts, corrected for the influence of several covariates. Harbour seals were found in every coastal area, but were most abundant in Faxaflói, Breiðafjörður and on the northwest coast inthe beginning of this study. Harbour seal numbers declined significantly at a rate of rest = -0.04 (SE 0.005) yr-1 during this period. Decline was highest in Faxaflói and at the south coast (≅7%), while the east coast experienced a significant but lesser (≅1%) decline. Other coastal areas did not show significant trends. The northwest coast was the richest harbour seal area in Iceland in 2006. In Icelandic waters seals are commercially harvested, and unreported but probably high numbers of harbour seals are killed intentionally by shooting and accidentally in fishing geareach year. These factors likely contributed to the overall observed decline in seal numbers.

scholarly journals A note on harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) distribution and abundance in France and Belgium

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Hassani ◽  
Laëtitia Dupuis ◽  
Jean François Elder ◽  
Emmanuel Caillot ◽  
Gerard Gautier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Harbour Seal ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Survey Techniques ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Regular Increase ◽  
Recreational Use

The most southern European colonies of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are located in France, in three areas: Baie du Mont Saint Michel, Baie des Veys and Baie de Somme. The largest colony is situated at the Baie de Somme, with a maximum of 186 individuals recorded on one occasion in the summer of 2008. All colonies are regularly monitored by different organisations. Different monitoring methods are used, including land-based, air-based and ship-based survey techniques. The basic results of the monitoring indicate a regular increase in the population size since 1990, with the total count of hauled out harbour seals for the three colonies increasing from 24 in 1990 to 295 in 2008. During the last years, an increasing number of pregnant females, pups and postweaned seals have been observed. The recorded number of pups in 2008 was 53. Along the Belgian coast, no harbour seal colonies exist anymore, although individual animals and small groups are regularly observed at different locations. The high recreational use of Belgian beachesmay prevent the establishment of colonies or regularly used haulout sites. 

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