Highlights: Alaska: Harbor seal decline studied in Kenai Fjords
National Park Service. 1998. Highlights: Alaska: Harbor seal decline studied in Kenai Fjords. Park Science. 18(1):4
Marine wildlife including harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are major visitor attractions in the productive, deep-water fjords adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ). Numerous tour boats bring hundreds of visitors to these waters daily to view pupping and molting seals hauled out on ice calved from tidewater glaciers. Disturbing declines in harbor seal populations prompted park resource staff to implement studies documenting impacts to the population. In 1980 more than 1,600 seals were counted at the head of Aialik Bay, yet fewer than 300 seals have been counted annually in the same waters since 1989. One ongoing study documents the relationship between vessel approach and seal disturbance avoidance behavior. Results may aid park staff develop and recommend seasonal approach guidelines for vessels viewing seals.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- National Park Service
- Units
- KEFJ , NRSS
- Keywords
- Aialik Bay, Harbor Seals, Human Disturbance, Kenai Fjords National Park, Mammals, Marine Mammals, Phoca vitulina, Population Decline