Early Migration of Northern Fur Seal Pups from St. Paul Island, Alaska

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Abstract
The early migration of northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) pups was investigated using very high-frequency (VHF) radiotelemetry. In 1989–1990, 184 pups were radiotagged and monitored to determine the date of their departure from St. Paul Island, Alaska. After their departure, 70 pups were located by receiver stations in the eastern Aleutian Islands and by aerial surveys. Mean (±1 SD) time of travel between St. Paul Island and the Aleutian passes was 11 ± 6 days (n = 63), suggesting that, on average, pups progressed southward at the rate of ca. 36–40 km/day. Near the Aleutians, they were distributed throughout the study area from Unimak Pass to Samalga Pass, and Unimak Pass was not the main migratory route from the Bering Sea into the North Pacific Ocean. The pups remained dispersed as migration continued south of the Aleutian Islands. The migratory routes of northern fur seal pups in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean have important implications for their pelagic ecology, including the type and availability of prey, oceanographic conditions encountered, population dynamics (e.g., survival and reproductive recruitment), and potential for interaction with human activities.

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