Diet of northwest Atlantic harp seals ( Phoca groenlandica ) in offshore areas

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Lawson, John W., Stenson, Garry B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1997
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic; Greenland; Labrador Shelf; Arctic cod; atlantic cod; Boreogadus saida; Gadus morhua; Northwest Atlantic; Phoca groenlandica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z97-844; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z97-844

The offshore diet of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) in the northwest Atlantic was determined by reconstructing the contents of prey-containing stomachs (399 of 724) recovered during 1980–1995. The importance of prey species varied seasonally and geographically. Pups (< 6 months old) usually...