AFSC/NMML/CCEP: Diet of Pacific harbor seals at Umpqua River, Oregon and Columbia River, Oregon/Washington during 1994 through 2005

From 1994 to 2005, The National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (AFSC/NOAA) collected fecal samples at the Umpqua River, Oregon and Columbia River, Oregon/Washington to examine the diet of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Scats were collected at various sites on the Umpqua River and at Desdemona sand spit on the Columbia River. Apart from describing the diet of Pacific harbor seals in these regions, of special interest was to determine the level of predation by these seals on endangered or threatened salmonids (e.g. cutthroat trout; Oncorhyncus clarkii).

Fecal samples were collected to examine the diet (and inter-annual changes therein) of Pacific harbor seals at Umpqua and Columbia Rivers. In addition to general diet information, data were used to describe the level of predation on endangered salmonid species (esp. cutthroat trout) by these seals.

Cite data as: Orr, A. J., Laake, J. L., Banks, A. S., Dhruv, M. I., Huber, H. H., Browne, P., DeLong, R. L., and Mellman, S. 2016. Laboratory analysis of diet of Pacific harbor seals at Umpqua River, Oregon and Columbia River, Oregon/Washington conducted from 1994-06-23 to 2005-09-03 (NCEI Accession 0139413). Version 1.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset.

Tables include information about the taxa identification, presence, number, size, etc. found in harbor seal scat, stomach, enema, or lavage samples collected at the Umpqua and Columbia Rivers in Oregon and Washington. 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.

None.

None.

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/0139413.

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. Cite data as: Orr, A. J., Laake, J. L., Banks, A. S., Dhruv, M. I., Huber, H. H., Browne, P., DeLong, R. L., and Mellman, S. 2016. Laboratory analysis of diet of Pacific harbor seals at Umpqua River, Oregon and Columbia River, Oregon/Washington conducted from 1994-06-23 to 2005-09-03 (NCEI Accession 0139413). Version 1.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset.

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.

Microsoft Access

Identifications and size measurements of prey were double checked before transcription. Difficult prey identifications were verified by an expert. Data entered into database were cross-checked with transcribed data (exact information for each field, number of entries).

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.

Fecal samples were collected at Pacific harbor sea haulout sites at Desdemona sand spit on the Columbia river and at the Umpqua River, Oregon, and placed in Whirl-Pak bags. Fecal samples were cleaned using nested sieves or a washing machine set on gentle cycle (Orr et al. 2003). Prey hard parts were separated from waste material and subsequently identified to the lowest taxon possible using a microscope, prey reference collection, and prey identification keys. Sizes of prey were determined from measurements of fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks. Sizes were measured using calipers or ocular micrometer. Measurements were used to estimate prey size from published regression equations. Data were entered into a database. Data analyses were performed to address research questions about Pacific harbor seal diet.

More detailed methods are provided in Browne et al. 2002, Laake et al. 2002, Orr et al. 2004