New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Population status and breeding of New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) in the Nelson-northern Marlborough region, 1991-94

R. H. TAYLOR
K. J. BARTON
P. R. WILSON
B. W. THOMAS
B. J. KARL

Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Private Bag 6
Nelson, New Zealand

Abstract  The population size, distribution, breeding, and onshore habitats of New Zealand fur seals in the Nelson-northern Marlborough region, New Zealand, were investigated. Breeding occurs at four relatively new rookeries along the southern shores of Cook Strait: at Stephens Island in the outer Marlborough Sounds, at Archway Islands and Pillar Point near Cape Farewell, and at Tonga Island in Tasman Bay. These rookeries were established in about 1970, 1980, 1988, and 1988, respectively. In 1993-94 about 500 pups were born and the extant population breeding or born at the four rookeries was assessed as 2410. There were also 17 hauling grounds, each with 25 or more seals ashore in winter, and about 50 other sites where lesser numbers hauled out regularly. Comparison with earlier estimates indicates that the summer population increased from about 70 in 1973 to about 1000 in 1994--a sevenfold increase of yearling and older seals. The number of pups produced increased at a mean annual rate of 23% since 1970-71. The population in this region is expanding rapidly in both numbers and breeding range, and similar trends have been reported from elsewhere in New Zealand and Australia. These changes relate to a re-colonisation of traditional breeding grounds following cessation late last century of nearly 1000 years of human exploitation of New Zealand fur seals.

Keywords  Arctocephalus forsteri; New Zealand fur seal; population status; breeding status; Cook Strait

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1995: Vol. 29: 223-234

0028-8330/95/2902-0223 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1995

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (882K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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