A review of the status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Northeast United States of America

  • Gordon T Waring NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
  • James R Gilbert Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Maine, 210 Nutting Hall, Orono, Maine, U.S.A.
  • Dana Belden Office of Naval Research, Marine Mammals & Biological Oceanography Program. One Liberty Center, Code 322 - Rm 1072C, 875 N. Randolph St. Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.
  • Amy Van Atten NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
  • Robert A DiGiovanni Jr Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, 467 East Main Street, Riverhead, New York, U.S.A.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2685
Keywords: harbour seals, status, United States

Abstract

We conducted a review of the literature and unpublished databases to describe the distribution, abundance, ecology and status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) in U.S. Atlantic waters. The harbour seal is the most abundant and widespread seal species in this area. Since passage of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the number of harbour seals observed during the pupping season in this region has increased from about 10,500 animals in 1981 to 38,000 animals in 2001 (uncorrected counts), an average annual rate of 6.6%. This increase has beenrelatively consistent over the 20 years, and there is no indication that the population size has stabilized. Correspondingly, the seasonal distribution has expanded and interactions between seals and anthropogenic activities have increased.
Published
2010-09-01
How to Cite
WaringG. T., GilbertJ. R., BeldenD., Van AttenA., & DiGiovanni JrR. A. (2010). A review of the status of harbour seals (<i>Phoca vitulina</i&gt;) in the Northeast United States of America. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 8, 191-212. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2685
Issue
Vol 8: Harbour seals in the North Atlantic and the Baltic
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2010 Gordon T Waring, James R Gilbert, Dana Belden, Amy Van Atten, Robert A DiGiovanni Jr

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (SeeThe Effect of Open Access).