NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service

Southwest Regional Office

Protected Resources Division

California Pinniped Rookeries & Haul-out Sites

 Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Map Links:

Public

Staff

Map Manual

Printable Viewing Guidelines Brochure

Pinniped Information

Metadata

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) – Southwest Region (SWR) created a GIS-based database to provide the public and other agencies with an interactive map highlighting pinniped haul-out areas and rookeries in California.  Much information regarding pinniped haul-outs and rookeries is known through word-of-mouth or in unpublished literature (i.e., academic research such as a thesis).  There is no central repository to make this information accessible to interested parties who may need the information when, for example, considering a project.  In the past, many projects occurring along the California coastline included components that impacted marine mammals.  However, determining whether a project may impact marine mammals, specifically pinnipeds, has been challenging for those unfamiliar with pinniped behavior.  As a result, NMFS-SWR is providing a map depicting pinniped haul-out areas and rookeries in California.  The data provided may also assist interested parties in gathering information to determine if their project, for example, may impact marine mammals and if a permit is needed under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and/or the Endangered Species Act.  This map is designed to not only show the locations of pinniped haul-out areas and rookeries, but also includes information, such as species, month in which the sighting occurred, number of animals, age and sex.  The major haul-out sites and rookeries are surveyed using aerial or ground count methodology.

Available on this site are: links to the staff access map (password protected), the public access map, the metadata, a manual for using the map, and descriptions of the pinnipeds found on this map.  The public access map contains information that is limited to protect the sources of the data used in the map (i.e., raw data may not be viewed).  The metadata, however, is comprehensive for both the staff and public access maps and therefore contains definitions of fields that are disabled in the public access map.  If you would like more information, please contact NMFS at (562) 980-3232.

The map was created with support from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California.