Food habits of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) off Oregon and northern California, 1986–2007

摘要

We described the diet of the eastern stock of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from 1416 scat samples collected from five sites in Oregon and northern California from 1986 through 2007. A total of 47 prey types from 30 families wereudidentified. The most common prey was Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), followed by salmonids (Oncorhynchusudspp.), skates (Rajidae), Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), herrings (Clupeidae), rockfish (Sebastes spp.),udand northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax). Steller sea lion diet composition varied seasonally, annually, and spatially. Hake and salmonids were the most commonly identified prey in scats collected during the summerud(breeding season), whereas hake and skate were most common in the nonbreeding season. Continued research on Steller sea lion diet and foraging behavior in the southern extent of their range is necessary to address issues such as climate change, interaction with competing California seaudlions, and predation impacts on valuable or sensitive fish stocks.