The Alaska Ecosystems Program conducts research on Steller sea lions and northern fur seals. Research projects are designed to assess the status of these species under the ESA and MMPA and to improve knowledge of their ecology and behavior.  In addition, research on these species is directed at gaining a better understanding of the role that these species play in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska ecosystems in order to provide advice for management of human activites that may affect the conservation and recovery of these species. 

Program Leader: Tom Gelatt

Quarterly Reports

• Steller sea lion research coordination, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Steller sea lion surveys 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
• Memorandum for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council
• Satellite Tracking of Adult Female Steller Sea Lions in the Western-Central Aleutian Islands Reveals Diverse Foraging Behaviors
  
• Studies of Northern Fur Seals Breeding at the Northern and Southern Extent of the Range
  
• By Land, Sea, and Air: A Collaborative Steller Sea Lion Research Cruise in the Aleutian Islands
  
• Changes in Northern Fur Seal Foraging Behavior with Increasing Population Density on Bogoslof Island, Alaska
  
• Using Traditional Knowledge and Archived Documents to Aid Research and Conservation Goals for the Northern Fur Seal
  
• Life History and Distribution Patterns of Fishes and Cephalopods: A Window into the Foraging Ecology of Pinnipeds
  

Publications

• TOWELL, R. G., R. R. REAM, J. R. THOMASON, K. A. CALL, T. K. ZEPPELIN, and R. CARUSO. 2012. Mass, length, and sex ratios of northern fur seal pups on the Pribilof Islands, 2010, p. 26-40. In J. W. Testa (editor), Fur Seal Investigations, 2010-2011. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-241. 
   
• TOWELL, R. G., R. R. REAM, J. T. STERLING, M. WILLIAMS, and J. L. BENGTSON. 2012. Population assessment of northern fur seals on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, 2010-2011, p.8-25. In J. W. Testa (editor), Fur Seal Investigations, 2010-2011. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-241. 
   
• TESTA, J. W. 2012. Introduction, p. 1-7. In J. W. Testa (editor), Fur Seal Investigations, 2010-2011. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-241. 
   
• CASTELLINI, J. M., L. D. REA, C. L. LIESKE, K. B. BECKMEN, B. S. FADELY, J. M. MANISCALCO, and T. M. O'HARA. 2012. Mercury concentrations in hair from neonatal and juvenile Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): Implications based on age and region in this northern Pacific marine sentinel piscivore. EcoHealth 9(3):267-277. 
   
• TESTA, J. W. (editor). 2012. Fur seal investigations, 2010-2011, 77 p. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-241, 77 p. (.pdf, 1.85 MB).   Online.
   
• CONN, P. B., D. S. JOHNSON, J. M. LONDON, and P. L. BOVENG. 2012. Accounting for missing data when assessing availability in animal population surveys: an application to ice-associated seals in the Bering Sea. Methods Ecol. Evol. 3:1039–1046. 
   
• ROBINSON, P. W., D. P. COSTA, D. E. CROCKER, J. P. GALLO-REYNOSO, C. D. CHAMPAGNE, M. A. FOWLER, C. GOETSCH, K. T. GOETZ, J. L. HASSRICK, L. A. HUECKSTAEDT, C. E. KUHN, J. L. MARESH, S. M. MAXWELL, B. I. McDONALD, S. H. PETERSON, S. E. SIMMONS, N. M. TEUTSCHEL, S. VILLEGAS-AMTMANN, and K. YODA. 2012. Foraging behavior and success of a mesopelagic predator in the northeast Pacific Ocean: insights from a data-rich species, the northern elephant seal. PLoS One 7(5):e36728. (.pdf, 1.24 MB).  Online.
   
• RENNER, H. M., F. MUETER, B. A. DRUMMOND, J. A. WARZYBOK, and E. H. SINCLAIR. 2012. Patterns of change in diets of two piscivorous seabird species during 35 years in the Pribilof Islands. Deep-Sea Res. II 65-70:273-291. 
   
• Additional recent Alaska Ecosystems Program publications

Posters

• Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) Demographic Studies in Russian Waters
  By:  VLADIMIR BURKANOV, ALEXEY ALTUKHOV, RUSSEL ANDREWS, DONALD CALKINS, THOMAS GELATT
  Conference:  Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2012
  (2012 poster, .pdf, 8.87 MB)   Online.
   
• Agent-based Modeling of the Dynamics of Mammal-eating Killer Whales and Their Prey: Not Your Lynx-Hare Cycle
  By:  J. WARD TESTA, KENRICK J. MOCK, CAMERON TAYLOR, HEATHER KOYUK, JESSICA R. COYLE, RUSSELL WAGGONER
  Conference:  Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2012
  (2012 poster, .pdf, 1.94 MB)   Online.
   
• The Effect of Research-related Disturbance on Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Mother-pup Activity on Rookeries at Dolgaya Rock and Tuleny Island, Russia
  By:  SVETLANA ARTEMYEVA, ELENA KRUCHENKOVA, VLADIMIR BURKANOV, RUSSELL ANDREWS, THOMAS GELATT
  Conference:  Biology of Marine Mammals 19th Biennial Conference, Tampa, FL, Dec-Nov 2011
  (2011 poster, .pdf, 7.54 MB)   Online.
   
• Investigating the Feasibility of Using DNA from Sloughed Skin for Individual Identification in Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
  By:  S. P. PIERSZALOWSKI, M. FERRARI, D. GLOCKNER-FERRARI, S. MIZROCH, P. CLAPHAM, B. R. DICKERSON
  Conference:  Biology of Marine Mammals 19th Biennial Conference, Tampa, FL, Dec-Nov 2011
  (2011 poster, .pdf, 551 KB)   Online.
   
• Estimation of Survival Rates for Branded Steller Sea Lions on the Kuril Islands, Russia
  By:  ALEXEY ALTUKHOV, RUSSEL ANDREWS, VLADIMIR BURKANOV, THOMAS GELATT
  Conference:  Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2011
  (2011 poster, .pdf, 2.38 MB)   Online.
   
• Winter Steller Sea Lion Abundance in the Far Western Stock: Winter Use in the Commander Islands
  By:  VLADIMIR BURKANOV, RUSSEL ANDREWS, DONALD CALKINS, THOMAS GELATT
  Conference:  Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2011
  (2011 poster, .pdf, 5.77 MB)   Online.
   
• Investigating the Usability of DNA from Sloughed Skin for Individual Identification in Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
  By:  S. P. PIERSZALOWSKI, M. FERRARI, D. GLOCKNER-FERRARI, B. R. DICKERSON, S. MIZROCH, P. CLAPHAM
  Conference:  American Cetacean Society, 12th International Conference, Monterey, CA, Nov 2010
  (2010 poster, .pdf, 856 KB)   Online.
   
• Using Cooperative Acoustic Surveys to Manage Small-Scale Fisheries: Relationships between Distribution of Steller Sea Lions, Diet Composition, Prey
  By:  ELIZABETH LOGERWELL, STEVE BARBEAUX, LOWELL FRITZ
  Conference:  Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2010
  (2010 poster, .pdf, 3.93MB)   Online.
   
• Additional recent Alaska Ecosystems Program poster presentations