Prey of the Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, in the Gulf of Alaska
Pitcher KW. 1981. Prey of the Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, in the Gulf of Alaska. Fishery Bulletin. 79(3):467-472
THE MAJORITY OF THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE DIET OF 250 STELLER SEA LIONS COLLECTED IN THE GULF OF ALASKA BETWEEN 1975 AND 1978. IN ADDITION, THE DIET OF THE HARBOR SEAL, WHICH INHABITS NEARSHORE AREAS SUCH AS ESTUARIES AND RIVER MOUTHS IN THE COPPER RIVER DELTA, IS DESCRIBED. HARBOR SEALS FEED ON SALMON AND EULACHON (THALEICTHYS PACIFICUS) AND PACIFIC SAND LANCE. BOTH STELLER SEA LIONS AND HARBOR SEALS EAT A SIMILAR PERCENTAGE OF CEPHALOPODS, HOWEVER, HARBOR SEALS EAT MORE OCTOPUS AND SEA LIONS MORE SQUID. THE DIFFERENCES IN DIET ARE PARTIALLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE USE OF FRESHWATER AND ESTUARINE HABITATS IN THE GULF OF ALASKA THAT ARE RARELY USED BY SEA LIONS. SEA LIONS RANGE FARTHER OFFSHORE THAN HARBOR SEALS BUT ARE NOT ABLE TO DIVE AS DEEPLY AS HARBOR SEALS. (B. Anderson)
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Pitcher, Kenneth
- Units
- GLBA , KLGO , SEAN , SITK
- Keywords
- Clupea harengus pallasi, comparison, Diets, Eumetopias jubatus, Gadus macrocephalus, Gonatidae, Gulf Of Alaska, Mallotus villosus, Phoca vitulina richardii, Pinnipeds, Prey, Prince William Sound, Scorpaenidae, Theragra chalcogramma