July 2023 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Environmental Training Opportunities in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
by Emily Ricketts 18 Jul '23

18 Jul '23

Edgewise Environmental is offering a Canada - Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) program from July 20th - August 10th, *there are very limited seats available.* This program will have an at-sea practical taking place on September 8th in Lunenburg, NS We are also offering a Seabird Observer (SBO) program from August 17th - September 7th with at-sea practical taking place on September 8th in Lunenburg, NS. Both MMO and SBO courses will have theory delivered online. Click here <https://www.edgewiseenvironmental.com/events/> for more information or email info(a)edgewiseenvironmntal.com. -- *Emily Ricketts* *Marketing and Business Development Support/Logistics Coordinator* Edgewise Environmental Ltd. St. John's, NL, Canada www.edgewiseenvironmental.com [image: Facebook icon] <https://www.facebook.com/edgewiseenvironmental> [image: LinkedIn icon] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/edgewise-environmental/> [image: Twitter icon] <https://twitter.com/edgewiseNL> [image: Instagram icon] <https://www.instagram.com/edgewiseenvironmental> CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: *The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message or their agent, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply email and then delete this message and any attachments. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, copying, or storage of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited.*

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Request for support accessing papers on cetacean responses to Arctic vessels
by Emily Hague 17 Jul '23

17 Jul '23

Dear MARMAMers, I am writing to request your help in my search for the below listed 20 documents - all are associated with research on Arctic cetacean responses to vessels, or vessel activities. My co-authors and I have extensively searched online for these articles and exhausted all our own search options, so now I'm hoping MARMAM authors can help. Many of the documents are from before the time of 'pdfs', so I'm hoping there might be copies hiding on computers or dusty shelves. Any support locating PDFs or hard copies would be hugely appreciated. The paper list is below - if you could email me at elh2001(a)hw.ac.uk<mailto:elh2001@hw.ac.uk>, I would be very grateful. Best wishes, Emily 1. Finley, K.J., C.R. Greene, and R.A. Davis. (1983). A study of ambient noise, ship noise, and the reactions of narwhals and belugas to the MV Arctic breaking ice in Admiralty Inlet N.W.T. In 'LGL Limited. 1986. Reactions of beluga whales and narwhals to ship traffic and ice-breaking along ice edges in the eastern Canadian Arctic. Canada Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Environmental Studies No. 37: 108 p.' 2. Blane, J. (1998). Avoidance and interaction behavior of the St. Lawrence Beluga in response to boats. In 'Research Methods to Assess Behavioral Impacts on Marine Mammals-World Marine Mammal Science Conference'. Monaco. 3. Davis, R.; Dunbar, M.; Mackas, D.; McNamee, P.; Pessah, E.; Schell, D.; Sekerak, A.; Thomson, D.; Wolfe, D. (1985). Beaufort Environmental Monitoring Project 1983-1984. Environmental Studies (Ottawa) (34): 23-45 4. Richardson, W. J., C.R. Greene, and B. Würsig. (1985). Behavior, disturbance responses and distribution of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the eastern Beaufort Sea, 1980-84: A summary. OCS Study MMS 85-0034. 5. Richardson, W.J. (ed.) (1981). Behavior, disturbance responses and feeding of bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea, 1980. LGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc., Bryan, TX, April 1981, 273 pages. (NTIS PB86-152188). RU 0000 6. Fraker, M.A. (1985). The Bowhead Whale and Offshore Petroleum Operations in the Arctic. In Coastal Zone'85 (pp. 978-984). ASCE. 7. Miller, G.W. and R.A. Davis. (1984.) Distribution and movements of narwhals and beluga whales in response to ship traffic at the Lancaster Sound ice edge - 1984. In 'LGL Limited. 1986. Reactions of beluga whales and narwhals to ship traffic and ice-breaking along ice edges in the eastern Canadian arctic. Canada Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Environmental Studies No. 37: iv + 34 p.' 8. Lesage, V. (1994). Effet de la circulation plaisanciere et d'un traversier sur le comportement vocal du beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, du Saint-Laurent. Master's Thesis. Universite Laval. 9. George, J.C., Philo, M. and Carroll, G.M. (1990). Evidence of killer whale predation, ship and line entanglement as noted on subsistence harvested bowhead whales. Proceedings of the Fifth Conference on the Biology of the Bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus (pp. 94-97). 10. Davis, R. A., Koski, W. R., Miller, G. W. (1986). Experimental use of aerial photogrammetry to assess the long-term responses of bowhead whales to offshore industrial activities in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, 1984. Environmental Studies. 44: 1-157. Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Ottawa, Canada: Catalogue No. R71-19/44-1987E 11. George, J.C. and O'Hara, T.M. (1997). Frequency of killer whale (Orcinus orca) bites, ship collisions, and entanglements based on scarring on bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). In 'Proceedings for the Wildlife Disease Association conference (p. 102).' 12. Richardson WJ, Malme CI. Man-made noise and behavioral responses In: 'Burns JJ, Montague JJ, Cowles CJ, editors. The bowhead whale. Special Publication No. 2, Society for Marine Mammalogy. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press; 1993. p. 631-700.' 13. LGL & Greeneridge. (1986). Reactions of beluga whales and narwhals to ship traffic and ice-breaking along ice edges in the Eastern Canadian High Arctic: 1982-1984. Environmental Studies 37. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. 14. Richardson WJ. (1993). Reactions of Migrating Bowhead and Beluga Whales to Noise from Simulated Industrial Activities in Ice Leads During Spring. USDI Miner Manag Service Report 93-0043 15. Cosens, S. E., & Dueck, L. P. (1988). Responses of migrating narwhal and beluga to icebreaker traffic at the Admiralty Inlet ice-edge, NWT in 1986. In 'W. M. Sackinger & M. O. Jeffries (Eds.), Port and ocean engineering under Arctic conditions (pp. 39- 54). Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska.' 16. Finley, K.J., G.W. Miller, R.A. Davis, and C.R. Greene. (1984). Responses of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) and belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) to ice-breaking ships in Lancaster Sound - 1983. In 'LGL Limited. 1986. Reactions of beluga whales and narwhals to ship traffic and ice-breaking along ice edges in the eastern Canadian Arctic. Canada Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Environmental Studies No. 37: xi + 117 p.' 17. Yates, M., Parker, L. and Lomac-MacNair, K. (2014). Seismic operations in a beluga whale habitat, Cook Inlet, Alaska. In 'SEG International Exposition and Annual Meeting (pp. SEG-2014). SEG.' 18. Cosens, S. (1995). The impact of ship noise and disturbance on the behavior of narwhals and belugas (Vol. 10). SWG/WP95. 19. Finley, K.J. (1990). The impacts of vessel traffic on the behaviour of belugas. In 'For the future of the beluga. Proceedings of the international forum for the future of the beluga (pp. 133-40). '/ Finley, K.J. (1990). The impacts of vessel traffic on the behaviour of belugas. Pour l'avenir du béluga. Compte rendu du Forum international pour l'avenir du béluga. J. Prescott and M. Gauquelin. Sillery, QC, Presses de l'Universtié du Québec. 20. Anonymous (1992). Various facilities and activities associated with offshore hydrocarbon development will affect the harvest of beluga whales. Environmental Studies. Emily Hague (She/her/hers) PhD Researcher Marine Spatial Analysis Group Edinburgh Campus Heriot-Watt University www.emily-hague.com<http://www.emily-hague.com/> Email: elh2001(a)hw.ac.uk<mailto:elh2001@hw.ac.uk> Twitter: @emilyhague<https://twitter.com/emilyhague> Scottish Vessel Project: https://bit.ly/ScottishVesselProject [cid:image001.png@01D9B8D5.60F23090]

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New publication: How loud are drones underwater?
by Amelie Laute 15 Jul '23

15 Jul '23

Dear MARMAMers, this might be interesting to all of you that use drones as part of your research: I'm pleased to announce on behalf of my co-authors a new publication on the sound of drones underwater, published in JASA. We flew three different DJI drones (Inspire, Phantom, Mavic) at different heights and horizontal distances over a hydrophone and measured their sound underwater. The drones all sound very different and depending on your species of interest you should choose your drone appropriately. Depending on the animal and on the distance, the drones may well be audible underwater! Also, flying higher above the animal reduces the sound but flying away horizontally reduces it much much more. So, whenever possible, stay behind or next to the animal to reduce potential impacts. If you're interested in the paper, check out the story behind it and the lay summary on our blog: https://whalewise.org/blog-2/ Or check out the article online: https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0019805 Or ask Amelie for a copy (amelie-laute(a)gmx.de) Laute A, Glarou M, Dodds F, Røsand SCG, Grove TJ, Stoller A, Rasmussen MH, Smith A, Loisa O and Fournet MEH (2023). Underwater sound of three unoccupied aerial vehicles at varying altitudes and horizontal distances. *JASA (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America)*, 153:3419. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0019805. ABSTRACT: Unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs), or “drones,” are increasingly used as a tool for cetacean research, but knowledge about how these tools contribute to underwater sound is lacking. In this study, underwater sound levels of three commonly used UAV models (Mavic Pro Platinum, Phantom 4 Pro v2.0, Inspire 1 Pro) were recorded. For each model, three replicate flights were conducted at 36 positions at standardized horizontal (0–30 m) and vertical (2–40 m) distances from a hydrophone (1m depth). Median broadband received levels of the Inspire were highest at 96.5 dBrms 141–17 783 Hz re 1 lPa2, followed by the Phantom (92.4 dBrms 141–17 783 Hz re 1 lPa2) and Mavic, which was quietest (85.9 dBrms 141–17 783 Hz re 1 lPa2). Median ambient sound levels in the absence of an UAV were 82.7 dBrms 141–17 783 Hz re 1 lPa2. Significant increases in ambient sound levels associated with UAV flights occurred at higher altitudes than previously reported, and received levels decreased more with increasing horizontal distance of the UAV than with altitude. To minimize potential noise impacts on sensitive marine animal subjects, we recommend increasing horizontal distance to the animal, rather than altitude, and choosing the quietest UAV feasible. Best Amelie Laute

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JOB Posting- Technician
by Polasek, Lori K (DFG) 14 Jul '23

14 Jul '23

Greetings! The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Marine Mammal Program is recruiting a full-time permanent Fish and Wildlife Technician 3-4 (PCN 11-2164, Job #40962) in Juneau. The job is posted on Workplace Alaska and is open to All Applicants. The recruitment period is 7/13/2023 - 8/9/2023. Applicants should be skilled in boat handling and maintenance. Experience working with marine mammals would be beneficial. For a full description and how to apply the posting link can be found here fish-and-wildlife-technician-3-4<https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/alaska/jobs/4115720/fish-and-wildlif…>

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Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response - Fall Internship 2023
by Sydney P. Lundquist 14 Jul '23

14 Jul '23

The Virginia Aquarium’s Research & Conservation Division is now accepting Stranding Response Intern applications for Fall 2023. Intern Application Deadline: 8/1/2023 For more information, including duties, position requirements, and how to apply, visit: https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/support/work-with-us or email vaqstranding(a)gmail.com with any questions. Position Overview Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Program (VAQS) interns promote the conservation of marine animal species through research, response, rehabilitation, and education. VAQS covers all live and dead marine mammal and sea turtle strandings for the state of Virginia. Interns will be trained in all aspects of stranding response, but may be assigned a rehabilitation or necropsy focus area. Stranding work is unpredictable; therefore, experiences will vary by internship session. VAQS will provide as many learning opportunities as possible during each session. Internship: Internships will be approximately three months long, starting around September 1st. We recognize that this is a tight turnaround time and can be flexible with start and end dates. Internship positions are non-compensatory, and housing is not provided by the Virginia Aquarium. Interns are fully responsible for fulfilling all requirements of their home institutions to receive academic credit. The intern is expected to be available 3-4 days per week, 8:00am-4:30pm. Some weekend and holiday coverage is expected. Thanks, Sydney Bryant, MPhil Stranding & Research Scientist: Field Response & Volunteer Manager Phone: (757) 385-6484 SLundqui(a)VirginiaAquarium.com<mailto:Email@VirginiaAquarium.com> Stranding Response Hotline: (757) 385-7575 Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center<http://www.virginiaaquarium.com/> 717 General Booth Blvd. Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451 [cid:48f8dc7c-8aa6-4b5d-9e86-5cfce9f83db7]

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New publication on killer whale calls around Iceland
by Anna Selbmann 14 Jul '23

14 Jul '23

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to share the publication of a new paper on killer whale calls around Iceland. Selbmann A, Deecke VB, Filatova OA, Fedutin ID, Miller PJO, Simon M, Bowles AE, Lyrholm T, Lacey C, Magnúsdóttir EE, Maunder W, Wensveen PJ, Svavarsson J, Samarra FIP. Call type repertoire of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland and its variation across regions. Marine Mammal Science https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13039 Abstract Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have group-specific call repertoires that can be used to track groups and populations using passive acoustic monitoring. To provide a detailed description of the Icelandic killer whale repertoire and its variation, we analyzed acoustic data collected in five locations between 1985 and 2016. Calls were classified manually, and CART and random forest analyses were employed to validate the manual classification. A total of 91 call categories (including call types and subtypes) were defined. Most call categories were recorded in more than one location, with the highest proportion shared between herring grounds in Vestmannaeyjar (South) and Breiðafjörður (West). However, both locations included call categories that were not recorded elsewhere in Iceland. Recordings from past herring wintering grounds in eastern Iceland included few call categories that matched other locations. Sample sizes from Reykjanes (Southwest) and Skjálfandi (North) were small and did not include unique call categories. The relative occurrence of call categories in Vestmannaeyjar changed little over a 14-year period (2002–2016), although shorter-term changes between years were observed that appeared to correlate to changes in individuals identified. This comparison of acoustic repertoires provides valuable information on the social structure and movement patterns of herring-eating killer whales around Iceland. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.13039 Soon to be Open Access but in the meantime feel free to get in touch for a PDF. Anna Selbmann PhD Candidate Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Iceland Sturlugata 7 101 Reykjavík, Iceland selbmann.anna(a)gmail.com <mailto:selbmann.anna@gmail.com>

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New publication: Cheap gulp foraging of a giga-predator enables efficient exploitation of sparse prey
by Simone Kristine Alexandra Videsen 14 Jul '23

14 Jul '23

Dear MARMAM community, We are pleased to share our recent publication in Science Advances: Videsen SK, Simon M, Christiansen F, Friedlaender A, Goldbogen J, Malte H, Segre P, Wang T, Johnson M, Madsen PT. Cheap gulp foraging of a giga-predator enables efficient exploitation of sparse prey. Science Advances. 9 (25) : eade3889. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade3889 Abstract The giant rorqual whales are believed to have a massive food turnover driven by a high-intake lunge feeding style aptly described as the world's largest biomechanical action. This high-drag feeding behavior is thought to limit dive times and constrain rorquals to target only the densest prey patches, making them vulnerable to disturbance and habitat change. Using biologging tags to estimate energy expenditure as a function of feeding rates on 23 humpback whales, we show that lunge feeding is energetically cheap. Such inexpensive foraging means that rorquals are flexible in the quality of prey patches they exploit and therefore more resilient to environmental fluctuations and disturbance. As a consequence, the food turnover and hence the ecological role of these marine giants have likely been overestimated. Best regards, Simone K. A. Videsen Postdoctoral Researcher Department of Biology - Zoophysiology Aarhus University Marine Bioacoustics lab Simone.videsen(a)bio.au.dk

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Aquatic Mammals - issue 49.4 is available online
by Kathleen Dudzinski 13 Jul '23

13 Jul '23

Dear MARMAM Subscribers, Happy Summer! The 4th issue of volume 49 (49.4) of Aquatic Mammals journal is available online and will be officially published on Saturday (15 July). Further information about the journal can be found at: http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/ To submit a manuscript for publication consideration, please visit: http://am.expressacademic.org/actions/author.php With regards, Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals Journal business(a)aquaticmammalsjournal.org <mailto:business@aquaticmammalsjournal.org> Articles with ** are open access: Jing Sun, Fangting Lu, Baolin Liao, Baohua Xiao, Min Li, Linyun He, Ling Bai, and Bingyao Chen. (2023). A Young Eden’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) Wandering in a Busy International Container Port. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4),321-328. **David A. Waugh, Jennifer D. Sensor, John C. George, and J. G. M. Thewissen. (2023). Auditory Health of Bowhead Whales. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 329-335. **Don R. Bergfelt, Maria Vences, Meghan Smallcomb, Roberto Sanchez-Okrucky, and Rocio Canales. (2023). Circulating Concentrations of Cortisol Encompassing Controlled Cessation of Suckling During Weaning Under Managed Care in Cow and Calf Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 336-346. Shannia Iskandar, Julia Adelsheim, and David A. S. Rosen. (2023). The Effects of Age and Sex on the Energy Intake of Captive Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris): Implications for Captive Management and Species Conservation. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 347-355. Wojtek Bachara, Mika Kuroda, Shin Nishida, Hajime Ishikawa, and Takashi Fritz Matsuishi. (2023). Northernmost Record of the Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens). Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 356-365. **Thomas A. Jefferson, Mari A. Smultea, and Eric J. Ward. (2023). Distribution and Abundance of California (Zalophus californianus) and Steller (Eumetopias jubatus) Sea Lions in the Inshore Waters of Washington, 2013-2016. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 366-381. **Cristina Castro, Marcia H. Engel, and Anthony R. Martin. (2023). First Humpback Whale Movement Between Ecuador and the South Sandwich Islands: Redefines the Easternmost Migration Point of Breeding Stock G. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 382-387. Victoria Luong, Kevin L. Woo, Kristy L. Biolsi, Bjoern Kils, and Preethi Radhakrishnan. (2023). Directional Orientation of Harbor (Phoca vitulina) and Gray (Halichoerus grypus) Seals at Haul-out Locations in New York City. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 388-394. Alexandra M. McGowan, Jennifer M. Seddon, Janet M. Lanyon, Nicholas Clark, and Justine S. Gibson. (2023). Identification of Antimicrobial Resistance in Faecal Microbes from Wild Dugongs (Dugong dugon). Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 395-405 **MaryEllen Mateleska. (2023). Book Review: We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 406. **Martin Böye. (2023). Letter to the Editor: EAAM Symposium: Marine Mammals in Need: Let People Know that We Are Part of the Solution. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 407-408. **Kathleen Dezio. (2023). Letter to the Editor: 2023 AMMPA Annual Meeting. Aquatic Mammals, 49(4), 409-410.

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New publication: Thermal microrefugia affect migratory phenology
by Elizabeth Hieb 12 Jul '23

12 Jul '23

On behalf of all co-authors, we are pleased to share our recent publication: Hieb, E.E., Cloyed, C.S., DaCosta, K.P, Garelick, A., Carmichael, R.H. 2023. Thermal microrefugia and changing climate affect migratory phenology of a thermally constrained marine mammal. *Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution* doi:10.3389/fevo.2023.1211513 <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1211513/full>. Abstract: Changing climate conditions are well documented to affect species distribution patterns and migratory phenology, especially for thermally constrained species. Climate induced changes and other natural and anthropogenic factors may affect habitats heterogeneously, altering microhabitats that act as refugia. Here, we used a thermally constrained marine mammal, the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), as a model species to examine how the availability of thermal microrefugia combined with climate driven increases in regional water temperatures may affect the timing and duration of occurrence at the northern margins of the species’ range. We used aerial, thermographic imaging to identify potential thermal anomalies that could act as thermal microrefugia for manatees during unfavorable cold temperatures and assessed manatee occurrence at these sites using citizen-sourced manatee sightings and stranding response data. To further understand how regional and longer-term water temperatures may affect the use of thermal microrefugia and phenology of migration, we compared spatial and temporal distributions of manatee sightings to air and sea surface temperatures on a decadal scale. Thermal anomalies were detected at various sources, and documented manatee sightings at or near these sites support use as thermal microrefugia during cold periods. Cold season manatee sightings at a known western migratory endpoint (Alabama waters) have increased during the last decade, primarily through increased sightings during the late fall and early winter (Nov–Jan) that correspond to increased regional temperatures during the same period. Manatees may use thermal microrefugia to remain at northern latitudes longer, delaying seasonal migrations or overwintering as conditions allow. Climate change is likely to have further effects on the species’ distribution and migration patterns, potentially facilitating modern range expansion that has implications for management and recovery actions for manatees across their range. Our study provides novel insight for manatees but may also be used as a model to understand how other thermally constrained species may expand their ranges into higher latitudes. [image: Dauphin Island Sea Lab Logo] Elizabeth Hieb Research Technician/Lab Manager 251-861-2141 <1-251-861-2141> ext. 7547 ehieb(a)disl.edu https://www.disl.edu 101 Bienville Blvd Dauphin Island, AL 36528 [image: facebook logo] <https://www.facebook.com/disealab> [image: twitter logo] <https://twitter.com/disealab> [image: YouTube logo] <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphmeb5XTCoBhzk2b937_Rw> [image: Instagram logo] <https://www.instagram.com/disealab/> [image: LinkedIn logo] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/dauphin-island-sea-lab> This document, including any attachments, contains privileged and/or confidential information. You may neither use, copy, nor deliver to anyone this document or any of its contents or attachments. All data (broadly defined as but not limited to numerical, descriptive, narrative, image, biological or environmental samples, raw or summary data, or any other content herein) belong to the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN) and/or the Manatee Sighting Network under the auspices of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) as an agent of the state of Alabama. Use of these data in any form must be requested and approved by contacting Dr. Ruth H. Carmichael (rcarmichael(a)disl.org) ALMMSN/MSN and DISL reserve the right to review, comment and consult on all data sharing and requests for data use. All data use, including analyses and products of any kind (print, oral, visual, archival, internal or external), after approval, must acknowledge and properly cite the DISL, ALMMSN and/or MSN, and data-specific personnel (that may include but not be limited to students, staff, faculty or administrators who contributed data). Approved data users must request the most up-to-date citation from Dr. Carmichael immediately prior to each use.

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New Paper Available
by Thomas Jefferson 12 Jul '23

12 Jul '23

Dear MARMAMers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper: Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Smultea and E. J. Ward. (2023). Distribution and Abundance of California (Zalophus californianus) and Steller (Eumetopias jubatus) Sea Lions in the Inshore Waters of Washington, 2013-2016. Aquatic Mammals, 49, 366-381. https://doi.org/10.1578/am.49.4.2023.366ABSTRACT: Two species of sea lions occur in the inlandwaters of Washington State, the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) and Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). Both species breed elsewhere, but typically moveinto Puget Sound and adjacent waters of the Salish Sea from autumn throughspring months. There is a need forinformation on their current abundance and seasonal use patterns, as bothspecies prey heavily on threatened/endangered stocks of salmon and steelheadtrout (Oncorhynchus spp.), andempirical abundance estimates of these species are lacking for inlandWashington waters. From 2013-2016, we conducted 39,399 km of aerial surveys formarine mammals in this area, sighting 255 groups of sea lions. We used a subset of 7,841 km of effort and165 sea lion sightings made during surveys in good sighting conditions toestimate in-water abundance using line-transect methods. Historical tagging data collected in PacificNorthwest waters were used to evaluate the proportions of time that eachspecies spent on land and conducting dives, and then to develop correctionfactors to derive total abundance for both sea lion species, providing the firstempirical abundance estimates for these waters. We estimated that between 33 and 442 California sea lions were found inPuget Sound/Hood Canal in different seasons, with nearly 3,000 being found in thebroader inland Washington waters in the peak season (spring). Steller sea lions occurred in much smallernumbers, with a peak of 219 animals in Puget Sound/Hood Canal/Strait of Juan deFuca in autumn (and possibly as many as 600-700 in the entire study area). Whilesome estimates suffer from low precision, this study demonstrates thatsubstantial numbers of sea lions use waters of the study area throughout muchof the year. Our results provide animportant step toward better understanding of these two species in the inlandwaters of Washington, as well as their potential effects on protected salmonidprey species. The paper is available upon request or from the Aquatic Mammals website. Tom Jefferson

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