Pinnipeds, people and photo identification: the implications of grey seal movements for effective management of the species

Sayer, Sue; Allen, Rebecca; Hawkes, Lucy A.; Hockley, Kate; Jarvis, Dan; Witt, Matthew J.

doi:10.1017/s0025315418001170

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In our study, the greatest distance between two haul-out locations was 240 km, and the greatest distance between photo-ID recaptures (Rdist) was 230 km, coincidentally similar to Sayer et al (2019) and well within the known range of individuals of the species (McConnell et al 1999). It is still not fully understood why grey seals choose to haul-out at some sites over others, although habitat suitability and lack of disturbance are likely to be important.…”

Section: Spatial Connectivity Of Sites Used Between Yearsmentioning

confidence: 47%

“…Natural Resources Wales (NRW, formerly the Countryside Council for Wales, CCW) monitors the number of pups born in and around the grey seal associated SACs (Stringell et al 2014). However, as evidence accumulates from elsewhere of animal movements beyond protected areas and across international boundaries (Vincent et al 2017;Critchley et al 2018;Sayer et al 2019), it has become increasingly important to gain an understanding of how haul-out sites in the region are used and the connectivity between SACs and non-designated areas.…”

Section: Reviewed By S Sayer and An Undisclosed Expertmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We found no connectivity between Ramsey Island with other monitored sites during the breeding season, suggesting especially high breeding site fidelity here. There have been reported resights of grey seals between Ramsey Island and Cornwall (Sayer et al 2019), but the time of year, sex and pupping status of the individuals were not available to include in this analysis.…”

Section: Breeding Site Fidelity Across Yearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…S1). Telemetry studies have shown that grey seals in the Celtic and Irish Seas move between Wales, Ireland, England and France (Cronin 2011;Cronin et al 2016;Carter et al 2017;Russell et al 2017;Vincent et al 2017) and photo-ID studies have also shown a connection between Wales and Ireland (Kiely et al 2000) and Wales and Cornwall (Sayer et al 2019). The Isles of Scilly off the west coast of Cornwall are also a key node for grey seals in Southwest Wales (Vincent et al 2016;Russell et al 2017).…”

Section: Eirphot Databasementioning

confidence: 99%

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Site use and connectivity of female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) around Wales

et al. 2020

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Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a qualifying feature of three special areas of conservation (SACs) in Wales, yet relatively little is known of their site use along this coastline. Since 1992, many individuals and organisations have contributed to a grey seal photographic identification database held by Natural Resources Wales, which is one of the largest and oldest of its kind, providing key information from grey seal haul-out sites around the Celtic and Irish Seas. Here, we investigated spatial connectivity of haul-out sites and fidelity of adult females to breeding sites. The minimum number of adult female grey seals using the area between 1992 and 2016 was 2688. Individual capture histories and relative spatial transition probabilities (P ij) between pairs of location groups were calculated. Adjacent locations were highly connected (e.g. Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey, P ij = 0.7) but connections spanned the entire region, up to 230 km apart (e.g. Skomer and Dee Estuary, P ij = 0.004). Resights were recorded within SACs (e.g. Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey [Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau SAC], P ij = 0.7), between SACs (e.g. Bardsey and Skomer [Pembrokeshire Marine], P ij = 0.03), between SACs and non-designated areas (e.g. Skerries and Bardsey, P ij = 0.09) and between sites outside any protected area (e.g. Dee Estuary and Anglesey, P ij = 0.5). While inter-annual fidelity to breeding sites was high (P ij = 0.82-1), individual female grey seals moved throughout the region. This evidence of extensive site use beyond protected areas is important for the management and conservation of grey seals around Wales.

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Section: Spatial Connectivity Of Sites Used Between Yearsmentioning

confidence: 47%

Section: Reviewed By S Sayer and An Undisclosed Expertmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Breeding Site Fidelity Across Yearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Eirphot Databasementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Site use and connectivity of female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) around Wales

et al. 2020

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“…photo-identification(Sayer et al, 2019), and monitoring entanglements of pinnipeds and other marine mammals along the Californian coastline, USA (Donnelly-Greenan, Nevins & Harvey, 2019). Here the use of citizen science from an unusual source of volunteers-deer hunters-was used to identify the occurrence and location of New Zealand sea lions along the expansive coastline of Stewart Island.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural plasticity and population connectivity: Contributors to the establishment of new pinniped breeding colonies

Chilvers

Dobbins²

2021

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that occur during range shift or (re-)colonization is of critical importance for species whose ranges are changing due to human-induced climate change or species such as New Zealand sea lions where their established colonies are significantly declining due to human impacts.2. The mechanisms underlying colonization are poorly understood. Observations are required to determine the processes that change individual's behaviour associated with colonization, but such observations are rare.3. Here, the establishment of a new breeding colony of New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri, as they recolonized mainland New Zealand, an area from which they had been absent for 200 years was investigated.4. There are differences in breeding location behaviour and population connectivity between established and establishing colonies of New Zealand sea lions. The recolonizing population is more dispersed with breeding locations that change annually and have more connections with other populations compared with established colonies and populations.5. The establishment of a new colony and the greater numbers of resightings between colonies means that for species' management, considerably more public education, habitat management, and protection is needed to ensure the safe return of New Zealand sea lions back on to mainland New Zealand.

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Extreme moulting site fidelity of the Saimaa ringed seal

et al. 2022

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Site fidelity is commonly observed in pinnipeds and has direct consequences for individual space use and population dynamics. Here, we used photo-identification recapture data to quantify site fidelity of the endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) over four successive moulting seasons. We identified 337 seals based on their permanent fur patterns, and 192 of them were observed during at least 2 years. Over the study period, the median number of terrestrial haul-out sites used by an individual seal was four, and nearly 50% of the seals reused them over the years. Although eight seals performed movements (up to 48 km) between the different water basins of Lake Saimaa, most of the studied seals remained in the same water basin over the years. The median distance between successive moulting sites used by an individual seal was 643 m. While these distances were similar within years in both sexes, the distances between years were longer in females, suggesting post-nursing related behaviour. The extreme site fidelity of the Saimaa ringed seal has important implications for its conservation, especially in the land use management of the Lake Saimaa shoreline.

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Pinnipeds, people and photo identification: the implications of grey seal movements for effective management of the species

Cited by 11 publications

References 35 publications

Site use and connectivity of female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) around Wales

Site use and connectivity of female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) around Wales

Behavioural plasticity and population connectivity: Contributors to the establishment of new pinniped breeding colonies

Extreme moulting site fidelity of the Saimaa ringed seal

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