Project Information

Title: Assessment of Injury to Harbor Seals in PWS and Adjacent Areas Following EVOS R073

Project Year and Number: 1992: R073

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2001: 01064-CLO, 2000: 00064-CLO, 1999: 99064, 1998: 98064, 1997: 97064, 1996: 96064, 1995: 95064, 1994: 94064, 1993: 93046, 1992: MM05, 1991: MM05, 1990: MM05, 1989: MM05

Principal Investigator (PI): Kathy Frost (State Of Alaska )

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: Lloyd Lowry

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Damage Assessment

Injured Resources Addressed: Harbor Seals

Abstract: The harbor seal restoration project will be funded during 1992 to cover project close-out costs. Close-out funds will be used to complete spring 1992 field work and to prepare a final report of harbor seal restoration study activities. Scheduled field work will entail attaching satellite transmitters to approximately ten harbor seals in Prince William Sound. They will be used to monitor their movements and hauling out and diving behavior until they cease to function and/or fall off during the annual molt in August. As indicated in all previous proposals and budgets for this project, satellite transmitters and data acquisition time for spring 1992 field work have already been procured with 1991 funds. This was necessitated by the three-month lead time required for transmitter manufacture and the requirement that satellite time be committed in January-February. The final report will present and analyze data from harbor seals that were satellite tagged in 1991 and 1992 as part of this restoration study. This will include analyses of movements and diving and hauling out patterns; an evaluation of changes in harbor seal distribution and abundance following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in light of these results; the potential application of diving and movements data to design and interpretation of aerial monitoring surveys; and recommendations for further study. In order to allow ample time for analysis of 1992 data, the final report will be completed by December 31, 1992.


Proposal: Not Available

Reports:
Final Report: Final Report Not available. For current status, please contact us.

Publications from this Project: None Available