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Data Set Info
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Lineage
Catalog Details

Summary

Short Citation
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 2024: Alaska Harbor Seal Haul-out Locations, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/26760.
Full Citation Examples

Abstract

Aerial surveys of coastal Alaska are the primary method for estimating abundance of harbor seals. A particular challenge associated with aerial surveys of harbor seals is maintaining consistent spatial representation of haul-out locations (waypoints). In some cases, seals aggregate into a single large grouping at a particular area. In other cases, seals aggregate into several smaller groups spread over a particular area. To establish geo-spatial consistency, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) maintains a list of haul-out locations that represent known harbor seal aggregations in Alaska. Haul-out locations were identified through aerial survey efforts and historical knowledge. Locations are assigned a unique alphanumeric identifier, based on the survey unit they fall within, and the spatial data are provided in the geographic (epsg:4326) coordinate reference system. These haul-out locations are used to inform management decisions pertaining to coastal activities (presence/absence of seals in a particular area) and to facilitate AFSC field work that includes both aerial and vessel surveys. Haul-out locations are updated annually based on information obtained from aerial survey observations. This dataset contains Alaska harbor seal haul-out locations that are recorded primarily to support aerial survey efforts in August and (in some areas, June). Harbor seals are known to use various haul-out locations seasonally and, thus, this is likely not a complete collection of harbor seal haul-out locations. Some haul-outs that are close together may be combined and represented as one site or waypoint. Important haul-out locations have been identified in the "status" field of the attribute table and are labeled as "key haulout" if a particular location contains 50 or more harbors seals. A haul-out location containing less than 50 harbor seals is labeled "not key haulout". This number may change as more in depth analysis continues.

Distribution Information

Access Constraints:

The data set is publicly available via REST web services. Users should acknowledge NOAA/NMFS/AFSC as the source from which these data were obtained and cite data as specified in any publications and/or other representations of these data. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged prior to use.

Use Constraints:

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. While 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. Acknowledge NOAA/NMFS/AFSC or the specified citation as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these data. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged.

Controlled Theme Keywords

biota, environment

Child Items

No Child Items for this record.

Contact Information

Point of Contact
Mike Cameron
michael.cameron@noaa.gov

Metadata Contact
Stacie Koslovsky
stacie.koslovsky@noaa.gov
206-526-6433

Extents

Geographic Area 1

172° W, -130° E, 61.5° N, 51° S

Time Frame 1
2015-10

Item Identification

Title: Alaska Harbor Seal Haul-out Locations
Publication Date: 2015
Abstract:

Aerial surveys of coastal Alaska are the primary method for estimating abundance of harbor seals. A particular challenge associated with aerial surveys of harbor seals is maintaining consistent spatial representation of haul-out locations (waypoints). In some cases, seals aggregate into a single large grouping at a particular area. In other cases, seals aggregate into several smaller groups spread over a particular area. To establish geo-spatial consistency, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) maintains a list of haul-out locations that represent known harbor seal aggregations in Alaska. Haul-out locations were identified through aerial survey efforts and historical knowledge. Locations are assigned a unique alphanumeric identifier, based on the survey unit they fall within, and the spatial data are provided in the geographic (epsg:4326) coordinate reference system. These haul-out locations are used to inform management decisions pertaining to coastal activities (presence/absence of seals in a particular area) and to facilitate AFSC field work that includes both aerial and vessel surveys. Haul-out locations are updated annually based on information obtained from aerial survey observations. This dataset contains Alaska harbor seal haul-out locations that are recorded primarily to support aerial survey efforts in August and (in some areas, June). Harbor seals are known to use various haul-out locations seasonally and, thus, this is likely not a complete collection of harbor seal haul-out locations. Some haul-outs that are close together may be combined and represented as one site or waypoint. Important haul-out locations have been identified in the "status" field of the attribute table and are labeled as "key haulout" if a particular location contains 50 or more harbors seals. A haul-out location containing less than 50 harbor seals is labeled "not key haulout". This number may change as more in depth analysis continues.

Purpose:

This geospatial dataset describes observed haul-out locations used for coastal aerial surveys of harbor seals in Alaska.

Other Citation Details:

London, J.M., K.M. Yano, E.L. Richmond, D.E. Withrow, S.P. Dahle, J.K. Jansen, H.L. Ziel, G.M. Brady, and P.L. Boveng (2015): Observed Haul-out Locations for Harbor Seals in Coastal Alaska. Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. --doi:TBD, contact authors for updated citation details--

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
ISO 19115 Topic Category
biota
ISO 19115 Topic Category
environment
UNCONTROLLED
Integrated Taxonomic Information systems (ITIS) Harbor Seal
None aerial survey
None haul-out locations

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
Geographic Names Information System Alaska
Geographic Names Information System Aleutian Islands
Geographic Names Information System Bristol Bay
Geographic Names Information System Gulf of Alaska

Physical Location

Organization: Alaska Fisheries Science Center
City: Seattle
State/Province: WA
Country: USA

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Data Set Type: GIS
Maintenance Frequency: As Needed
Data Presentation Form: Map (digital)
Distribution Liability:

Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. While 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.

Data Set Credit: London, J.M., K.M. Yano, E.L. Richmond, D.E. Withrow, S.P. Dahle, J.K. Jansen, H.L. Ziel, G.M. Brady, and P.L. Boveng (2015): Observed Haul-out Locations for Harbor Seals in Coastal Alaska. Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. --doi:TBD, contact authors for updated citation details--

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 1331396
Date Effective From: 2024-03-06
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Koslovsky, Stacie
Address: 7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115-6349
Email Address: stacie.koslovsky@noaa.gov
Phone: 206-526-6433

Distributor

CC ID: 1331397
Date Effective From: 2015-11-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)
Address: 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4
Seattle, WA 98115
USA
Email Address: afsc.webmaster@noaa.gov
Phone: (206) 526-4000
Fax: (206) 526-4004
URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/alaska-fisheries-science-center
Business Hours: 0700-1700 Pacific Time

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 1331398
Date Effective From: 2024-03-06
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Koslovsky, Stacie
Address: 7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115-6349
Email Address: stacie.koslovsky@noaa.gov
Phone: 206-526-6433

Originator

CC ID: 1331399
Date Effective From: 2015-11-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)
Address: 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4
Seattle, WA 98115
USA
Email Address: afsc.webmaster@noaa.gov
Phone: (206) 526-4000
Fax: (206) 526-4004
URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/alaska-fisheries-science-center
Business Hours: 0700-1700 Pacific Time

Point of Contact

CC ID: 1331400
Date Effective From: 2024-03-06
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Cameron, Mike
Email Address: michael.cameron@noaa.gov

Extents

Currentness Reference: Publication Date

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 239537
W° Bound: 172
E° Bound: -130
N° Bound: 61.5
S° Bound: 51

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 239534
Time Frame Type: Discrete
Start: 2015-10

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Policy:

The data set is publicly available via REST web services. Users should acknowledge NOAA/NMFS/AFSC as the source from which these data were obtained and cite data as specified in any publications and/or other representations of these data. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged prior to use.

Data Access Procedure:

The data set is publicly available via REST web services. Users should acknowledge NOAA/NMFS/AFSC as the source from which these data were obtained and cite data as specified in any publications and/or other representations of these data. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged prior to use.

Data Access Constraints:

The data set is publicly available via REST web services. Users should acknowledge NOAA/NMFS/AFSC as the source from which these data were obtained and cite data as specified in any publications and/or other representations of these data. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged prior to use.

Data Use Constraints:

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. While 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. Acknowledge NOAA/NMFS/AFSC or the specified citation as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these data. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged.

Metadata Access Constraints:

no metadata access constraints

Metadata Use Constraints:

Metadata are subject to revision at any time and information within the metadata record should not be cited without author consent. While 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.

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 751609
Download URL: https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/browser/nmfs_odp_afsc/MML/PEP/Alaska%20Harbor%20Seal%20Haul-out%20Locations
Distributor:
File Name: Online resource
Description:

Note: Dataset migrated by Dan Woodrich (AFSC data management coordinator) on 12/20/2021. Contact: Daniel.woodrich@noaa.gov

File Type (Deprecated): ESRI Shapefile
Distribution Format: Shapefile

Distribution 2

CC ID: 700546
Download URL: https://services2.arcgis.com/C8EMgrsFcRFL6LrL/arcgis/rest/services/pv_cst_haulout/FeatureServer
Distributor:
Description:

Online resource

File Type (Deprecated): ESRI REST Service
Distribution Format: ESRI REST Service

Data Quality

Quality Control Procedures Employed:

Haulout locations are evaluated annually to insure all known harbor seal aggregations within Alaska have been incorporated. Feedback from aerial survey observers informs this evaluation.

Data Management

Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: No
Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: Unknown
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: Yes
Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: No
If Distributor (Data Hosting Service) is Needed, Please Indicate: not needed
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Dissemination: one year
If Delay is Longer than Latency of Automated Processing, Indicate Under What Authority Data Access is Delayed:

data are not automoatically processed

Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: NCEI-MD
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Archiving: unknown
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?:

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.

Lineage

Lineage Statement:

The haul-out locations (waypoints) were derived from efforts that combined historical knowledge of harbor seal aggregations and aerial survey observations. During aerial surveys, an observer photographs all haul-out locations within a given survey unit and is also responsible for recording any new haul-out location information that is observed. Survey unit boundaries were optimized to limit the number of known haul-out locations near the boundary.

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 26760
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:26760
Metadata Record Created By: Josh London
Metadata Record Created: 2015-08-31 18:31+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: Cynthia Christman
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2024-04-17 22:43+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2024-04-03
Owner Org: AFSC
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2022-05-05
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2023-05-05