AFSC/NMML/CCEP: Harbor seal demography in Washington; capture, tagging, branding data from 1981 to 2007

The National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (AFSC/NOAA) in collaboration with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife captured and sampled Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) to study the demography of this species in Washington. This database provides capture, recapture, branding and resighting information for harbor seals in Washington from 1981 to 2007. Datasets include: Captures, Recapture, and Resight. Captures and Recapture information includes speno, date, age-class, age qualifier, sex, weight, length, health, tag number, brand number, location for all age classes and axial girth for pups and subadults. It also notes if samples were taken for disease screening (blood and swabs), contaminants (blubber), genetics (skin) and if animals were instrumented and with what type(s) of instrument. Resights information includes speno, date, tag, brand, reproductive information, location.

The purpose of this data set is to link harbor seal capture, recapture, branding and resighting data to provide longitudinal information on known-age survival, mortality, longevity, recruitment, and natality as well as annual natality rates for harbor seals in Washington and to document changes in these rates over time.

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 4973, 04-25-2014 13:48

The following FGDC sections are not currently supported in InPort, but were preserved and will be included in the FGDC export:

- Taxonomy (FGDC:taxonomy)

- Entity Attribute Information (FGDC:eainfo)

Cite data as: Huber, H. R., Jeffries, S. J., Lambourn, D. M. 2016. Harbor seal demography in Washington; capture, tagging, branding data collected from 1981-04-09 to 2007-11-20 (NCEI Accession 0140930). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Tables include information about individuals during initial Capture, after Resighing(s), and after Recapture(s). See "Child Items" for more detailed information.

The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose. NOAA denies liability if the data are misused. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Whereas every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

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The dataset is archived with the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Acknowledgement of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these data is suggested. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged prior to use.

The dataset is available for download via the NCEI Ocean Archive System at http://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0140930.

There are no legal restrictions on access to the data. They reside in public domain and can be freely distributed.

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Acknowledgement of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these, data is suggested. Data must be cited as: Huber, H. R., Jeffries, S. J., Lambourn, D. M. 2016. Harbor seal demography in Washington; capture, tagging, branding data collected from 1981-04-09 to 2007-11-20 (NCEI Accession 0140930). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Communication and collaboration with data set authors is strongly encouraged.

None.

Metadata are subject to revision at any time and information within the metadata record should not be cited without author consent. Whereas every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

MS Access

No brands on pups less than 20 kg. No brands or handling on near-term females.

Capture and Recapture data are proofed for consistency and logic in the field and after collection. Resight data are run through a consistency program in the field that checks for misreads in brand numbers, flagging brands that do not exist, are dead animals, or have not been seen for more than two years.

Data not automatically processed

IT Security and Contingency Plan for the system establishes procedures and applies to the functions, operations, and resources necessary to recover and restore data as hosted in the Western Regional Support Center in Seattle, Washington, following a disruption.

Capture methods were by beach seine or tangle net or 'run and grab;' methods are described in Jeffries et al. 1993.

Branding in south Puget Sound took place between 1993 and 2011. Hot brands of 1 to 3 digits, using rolled stainless steel branding irons, were applied with even pressure for 3 to 4 seconds on both sides of subadult and adult animals that were physically restrained. Only pups greater than 20 kg were branded. After 2009. pups were branded on one side only.

Harbor seal resights were made in south Puget Sound at Gertrude Island, Eagle Island, Woodard Bay, and Commencement Bay on land and from small boats using blinds, boats, and vehicles provided by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Observations of tagged and branded harbor seals took place at least 3 days/week at Gertrude Island between 15 June and 15 September and at least 1 day/week 16 Sept to 1 November from 1994 to 2011. After 2011, resighting observations were more irregular.