Phoca vitulina
Type of resources
Topics
Keywords
Contact for the resource
Provided by
Formats
Representation types
Update frequencies
status
-
Layer that includes the known information on harbor seal breeding and feeding areas in the Saguenay Fjord, the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1968 and 2001. Additional Information Harbor seal breeding and feeding areas were produced according to a literature review of the following documents: Andersen, A. et M. Gagnon. 1980. Les ressources halieutiques de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. can. ind. sci. halieut. aquat., 119: iv + 56 p. Communications personnelles par Fournier, C. 1999. Communications personnelles par Gosselin, J-F-. 1996. Communications personnelles par Gosselin. J.-F. 2001. Communications personnelles par Lavigueur, L. 1996. Dignard, N., R. Lalumière, A. Reed et M. Julien. 1991. Les habitats côtiers du nord-est de la Baie James. Publication hors-série no. 70. Environnement Canada, Service canadien de la faune. 30 p. + carte. Enquête auprès des pêcheurs et agents du MEF et du MPO. 1995. Mansfield, A. W. 1968. Seals and walruses. In: Beals, C.S., ed. Science, History and Hudson Bay. Vol. 1. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer. 501 p.
-
Layer that includes the known information on potential haul-out sites for the harbour seal and gray seal in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1978 and 2000. Additional Information Potential haul-out sites for the harbor seal and gray seal were produced according to a literature review of the following documents: Andersen, A. et M. Gagnon. 1980. Les ressources halieutiques de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. can. ind. sci. halieut. aquat., 119: iv + 56 p. Argus Groupe-Conseil inc. 1992. Synthèse et analyse des connaissances relatives aux ressources naturelles du Saguenay et de l'estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent. Parc marin du Saguenay. Service canadien des parcs, région du Québec. Biorex. 1995. Cartographie des ressources halieutiques et de leurs habitats dans l'estuaire moyen du Saint-Laurent. Rapport au ministère des Pêches et des Océans, Région du Québec, Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson. 36 p. + annexes. Biorex. 1996. Base de données géoréférencées sur les ressources halieutiques et leurs habitats : estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent et fjord du Saguenay. Rapport au ministère des Pêches et des Océans, Région du Québec, Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson. Volume 1 : 38 p. + annexes et Volume 2 : 34 p. + annexes. Chevrier, V. 1994. Cartographie des habitats du poisson aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Rapport technique no. 1. Réalisé en collaboration avec le M.P.O., Attention Frag'Îles et la M.R.C. des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. 24 p. + 1 ann. + 36 cartes. Comité de la zone d'intervention prioritaire (ZIP) de la Côte-Nord du golfe. 1999. Inventaire des habitats côtiers et marins sensibles de la Basse-Cote-Nord : Rapport final, présenté à Pêches et Océans Canada par le Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe. 126 p. Comité de protection de la santé et de l'environnement de Gaspé inc. (C.P.S.E.G.). 1996. Communication personnelle par Carol Fournier, MPO. 1999. Communications personnelles par Gosselin, J-F-. 1996. Desaulniers, J. 1989. Étude des populations de pinnipèdes de l'Archipel-de-Mingan et relation entre l'activité de chasse au phoque et la sécurité publique 1987 à 1989. Parcs Canada. Région du Québec. Service de la conservation des ressources naturelles. Enquêtes auprès des pêcheurs. 1995. Lavigne, P.-J. 1978. La chasse estivale du phoque dans le Saint-Laurent. Rapport non publié. 65 p. Pêches et Océans Canada, Région du Québec. Lesage, Véronique. 2000. Communication personnel. Lesage, V., M. O. Hammill, and K.M. Kovacs. 1995. Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) abundance in the St. Lawrence estuary. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2307: iii + 19 p. Naturam Environnement inc. 1996. Caractérisation physique et biologique de l'habitat du poisson du secteur de Pointe-aux-Outardes. Realisé pour le compte de la Corporation du Parc régional de Pointe-aux-Outardes. 196 p.
-
The initial objective of this dataset was to study the seasonal movement patterns of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island. This study was part of a larger program that studied the foraging behavior of the species. Ten harbour seals were captured using gillnets from 1994 to 1998 at three sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary (Bic, n=1 individual; île Blanche, n=1; Métis-sur-Mer, n=5) and one site on Sable Island (n=3 individuals). The individuals were equipped with a satellite-linked time-depth recorder (Type3.10, Wildlife Computers) equipped with an Argos tag and placed on the back of the neck. For most individuals, satellite tracking began in September and continued until the following spring. The dataset consists of series of geographic locations of ten harbor seals with associated dates and times and movement speeds calculated from successive locations. The location data were only filtered based on the validity class provided by Argos. Class Z locations were excluded.
-
Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. They are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as those of the Baltic and North Seas. In Canada, they may be found off the coastal waters of British Columbia, Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Population trends and abundance of harbour seals in British Columbia are assessed based on aerial surveys conducted during 1966-2019. Based on counts conducted in Index Areas distributed throughout the province, the trend observed in the Strait of Georgia appears to be generally indicative of harbour seal populations throughout British Columbia. Total abundance of harbour seals on the B.C. coast in 2008 was estimated to be on the order of about 105,000 (95% confidence interval of 90,900 to 118,900) seals. Total abundance was re-estimated in 2022 (estimate and CI pending completion of CSAS process). Historic reconstructions indicate the population was depleted by a period of commercial harvesting during 1879-1914, and subsequently maintained below natural levels by predator control programs until the early 1960s. Already depleted, the population could not sustain a second period of intense commercial harvesting during 1962-1968 and was further depleted, but now appears to have fully recovered.