Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) counts and haulout locations in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia coast

Sheena Majewski

doi:10.15468/2ks892

Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) counts and haulout locations in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia coast

Citation

Majewski S (2022). Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) counts and haulout locations in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia coast. Version 1.9. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/2ks892 accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-11.

Description

Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. They are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as those of the Baltic and North Seas. In Canada, they may be found off the coastal waters of British Columbia, Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Population trends and abundance of harbour seals in British Columbia are assessed based on aerial surveys conducted during 1966-2014. Based on counts conducted in Index Areas distributed throughout the province, the trend observed in the Strait of Georgia appears to be indicative of harbour seal populations throughout British Columbia. Total abundance of harbour seals on the B.C. coast in 2008 was estimated to be on the order of about 105,000 (95% confidence interval of 90,900 to 118,900) seals. Historic reconstructions indicate the population was depleted by a period of commercial harvesting during 1879-1914, and subsequently maintained below natural levels by predator control programs until the early 1960s. Already depleted, the population could not sustain a second period of intense commercial harvesting during 1962-1968 and was further depleted, but now appears to have fully recovered.

Taxonomic Coverages

The harbour (or harbor) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The five subspecies of Phoca vitulina are P. v. vitulina, P. v concolor, P. v. mellonae, P. v. richaridii, and P. v. stejnegeri.

Phoca vitulina
common name: harbour seal rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Strait of Georgia

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Sheena Majewski
originator
position: Research Biologist - Pinniped
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
3190 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo
V9T6N7
British Columbia
CA
Telephone: 12507567254
email: Sheena.Majewski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Sheena Majewski
metadata author
position: Research Technician
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
3190 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo
V9T6N7
British Columbia
CA
Telephone: 12507567254
email: Sheena.Majewski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Yeongha Jung
editor
position: Data Technician
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
3190 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo
V9T6N7
British Columbia
CA
Telephone: 12507567106
email: yeongha.jung@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6285-7769

Sheena Majewski
administrative point of contact
position: Research Biologist - Pinniped
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
3190 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo
V9T6N7
British Columbia
CA
Telephone: 12507567254
email: Sheena.Majewski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Maria Cornthwaite
administrative point of contact
position: Program Head
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
3190 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo
V9T6N7
British Columbia
CA
Telephone: 17782682739
email: OBISCanada@dfo.mpo.gc.ca