Dear Colleagues: NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southwest Regional Office (SWR) is requesting assistance to collect information on pinniped haulout sites in California. Documenting the location and seasonal use of pinniped haulout sites is important for managing activities that may impact pinnipeds and also for prioritizing research needs. NMFS-SWR, in collaboration with NMFS-Southwest Fisheries Science Center, has created an interactive GIS database that will provide a comprehensive inventory of pinniped haulout sites in California, based primarily from an extensive review of literature and from contributions from fellow researchers. We are requesting assistance from pinniped researchers and others who are willing to share their information on pinniped haulout information in California. We understand the sensitivity of sharing data, but we want to make sure that the database incorporates both historical and current information on pinnipeds in California. Many pinniped surveys are conducted at the end of the breeding season when the majority of the animals are hauled out. Much can be inferred about dispersal of pinnipeds by comparing movement between the breeding and non-breeding seasons. However, less is known about dispersal within the breeding and particularly, during the non-breeding season. Thus, we hope that with your assistance, we will be able to compile year-round information on pinniped haulout sites in California. Primarily, we are interested in information (past and present) on: 1) species; 2) location (e.g., name of area and/or latitude/longitude); 3) counts; 4) date and time observed; 5) whether the area was/is used as a rookery or non-rookery; and 6) age class. Any other additional information would also be greatly appreciated. We also request that you include reference information, so that this may be included in the database as well. Presently, the database will only be accessible to NMFS-SWR staff as we continue to develop this database and collect information. The information in the database will be evaluated and updated on an annual basis. In the future, we may want to make a restricted version of this database available to the public (likely to include the GIS map, species and location), but we will notify participating researchers prior to publicizing. If you have information on pinniped haulout sites in California, but are unsure about disseminating data, please feel free to contact me so that we may discuss alternatives. Please contact me with any questions. Thank you in advance for your time. Cheers, Monica DeAngelis -- Monica L. DeAngelis Marine Mammal Biologist NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service/Southwest Region Protected Resources Division 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200 Long Beach, CA Work: 562-980-3232 Fax: 562-980-4027 E-mail: Monica.DeAngelis@noaa.gov