Capture Methods and Instrumentation
During satellite telemetry studies of Steller sea lions in the late 1980s, adult and juvenile Steller sea lions were captured by remote injection of an immobilizing agent. Capture efforts were enhanced in the 1990s by the development of SCUBA capture techniques by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) and by the success of hoop-net captures on land, both of which provide greater access to younger sea lions.
Once captured, Telonics satellite transmitters or PTTs (Platform Transmitter Terminals) packaged in Satellite Linked Time Depth Recorders (SLTDRs) manufactured by Wildlife Computers, Redmond WA are glued to the sea lions back using quick setting marine epoxy. Additional data for coordinated Steller sea lion research projects are also collected while animals are held for instrumentation.