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Ice Seal Movements and Foraging: Village-Based Satellite Tracking and Collection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Regarding Ringed and Bearded Seals

Branch
Executive
Category
Executive Agency Publications
SuDoc Class Number
I 72.
Government Author
Interior Department, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Personal Author
Quakenbush LT; Crawford JA; Nelson MA; Olnes JR
Series Title
BOEM Environmental Studies
Publication Title
Ice Seal Movements and Foraging: Village-Based Satellite Tracking and Collection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Regarding Ringed and Bearded Seals
Date Issued
2019
Subject
Socio-economic and Infrastructure
Culture; Marine Mammals
ringed seal; bearded seal; spotted seal; foraging; haul-out behavior; satellite telemetry; movements; migration; petroleum exploration areas; Beaufort Sea; Chukchi Sea; Bering Sea
Geographic Scope
Alaska
Report Number
BOEM 2019-079
CSE Reference
Quakenbush LT, Crawford JA, Nelson MA, Olnes JR (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau, AK). 2019. Ice seal movements and foraging: village-based satellite tracking and collection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge regarding ringed and bearded seals. Anchorage (AK): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 238 p. Obligation No.: M13PC00015. Report No.: OCS Study BOEM 2019-079. URL: https://espis.boem.gov/Final%20Reports/BOEM_2019-079.pdf
Abstract
From 2014-2019 researchers worked with Alaska Native seal hunters to attach transmitters to 26 bearded, 16 ringed, and 25 spotted seals at eight locations; four locations in the Bering Sea, two locations in the Chukchi Sea and two locations in the Beaufort Sea. Transmitters deployed on ringed, bearded, and spotted seals provided information on movements, dive behavior, and hauling out behavior during all seasons, which allowed identification of important high-use areas including feeding areas, use of sea ice, and potential interactions with oil and gas areas, seismic activities, and ship traffic. Researchers found that movements of bearded and spotted seals were different depending on where they were tagged, emphasizing the importance of tagging at multiple and distant locations in the same year. Local and traditional knowledge was documented for 13 communities, to further our understanding of seal behavior and how it may be changing.