Estimating Abundance of Seals in a Drifting Environment: 2005: Pup Production of Harp Seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus, in the Northwest Atlantic

摘要

Photographic and visual aerial surveys to determine current pup production ofnorthwest Atlantic harp seals were conducted off Newfoundland and Labrador (the“Front”), and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during March 2004. Surveys of four whelpingconcentrations were conducted between 5 and 18 March resulting in estimated pupproduction of 640,800 (SE=46,900, CV=7.3%) at the Front, 89,600 (SE=22,500,CV=25.4%) in the northern Gulf, and 261,000 (SE=25,700, CV=9.8%) in the southernGulf (Magdalen Island), for a total of 991,400 (SE=58,200, CV=5.9%). Surveys werecorrected for the temporal distribution of births and the mis-identification of pups byreaders. Comparison with previous estimates indicates that pup production has notchanged since 1999, likely due to the increased hunting of young animals which began inthe mid 1990s.