Dataset: seal_prey_species_counts
Deployment: lab_Acevedo

Counts of prey species found in harbor seal scat samples.

Lead Principal Investigator:

Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez (Western Washington University, WWU)

Co-Principal Investigator:

Jeffrey F Bromaghin (United States Geological Survey, USGS)

Steven J Jeffries (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

John M Kennish (University of Alaska, Anchorage, UAA)

Monique M Lance (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Philip S. Levin (National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS)

BCO-DMO Data Manager:

Shannon Rauch (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI BCO-DMO)

Project:

Responses of Seals and Sea Lions to Increased Rockfish Density (Seal_response_to_prey)

Current State:

Final no updates expected

Version:

13 Dec 2012

Version Date:

2012-12-13

Data URL:

https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset-deployment/455643/data

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Description

Counts of prey species identified in harbor seal scat samples collected from 2005 to 2008.

Also see the related data set, "seal_prey_by_region", in which frequencies of occurrence are provided for prey groupings for different sampling regions within the San Juan Islands.

Data and methods, including sample sizes, are described in:
Lance, M. M., Chang, W.-Y., Jeffries, S. J., Pearson, S. F. & Acevedo-Gutierrez, A. 2012. Harbor seal diet in northern Puget Sound: implications for the recovery of depressed fish stocks. Marine Ecology Progress Series 464:257-271. DOI:10.3354/meps09880

Methods & Sampling

Dataset acquisition description

From Lance et al.:
From 2005 to 2008, fecal samples (scats) were collected seasonally over 3 collection periods: March to early June (‘spring’), late July to September (‘summer/fall’), and January to February (‘winter’). Scats were collected from 23 haul-out locations during daytime low tides. The sites were dispersed throughout the study area, represented various habitat types used by harbor seals, were the largest haul-outs where adequate sample sizes could be collected, and were easily accessible by boat. Two or three collection trips were made each season, with a target sample size of 60 scats per season per region.

Samples were stored frozen. In the lab, samples were enclosed in fine mesh paint-strainer bags and cleaned using a washing machine or nested sieves. Hard parts were cleaned and stored dry. Prey were identified to lowest possible taxon using a dissecting microscope, reference fish bone collections, and published keys.

Data Processing Description

Dataset Processing Description

BCO-DMO made the following modifications:
- Changed parameter names to conform with BCO-DMO convention.
- Replaced spaces with underscores.
- Replaced blanks with 'nd' to indicate 'no data'.

More information about this dataset deployment

Funding

Award Number	Funding Source
OCE-0550443	NSF Division of Ocean Sciences

Instruments

None available yet

Parameters

Supplied Name	Supplied description	Supplied Units	Standard Name
species	Taxonomic name of the prey species.	text	species
common_name	Common name of the prey species.	text	common_name
family	Taxonomic family name.	text	family
season	Sampling season: Spring = March to early June, Summer/Fall = late July to September, Winter = January to February.	text	season
count	Total number of occurrences of the species identified in the seal scat samples.	integer	count
pcnt_unweighted	Unweighted occurrence frequency of the species.	%	no_bcodmo_term

Database

Contribute Data

Dataset: seal_prey_species_counts
Deployment: lab_Acevedo

Dataset acquisition description

Dataset Processing Description

Database

Contribute Data

Dataset: seal_prey_species_countsDeployment: lab_Acevedo

Dataset acquisition description

Dataset Processing Description

Dataset: seal_prey_species_counts
Deployment: lab_Acevedo