| Summary: | Progress Code: completed Statement: The study covered as many colonies of Heard Island as possible, and as frequently as possible. Isolated sites or those difficult to reach were visited on an opportunistic basis. Counts were made between 25 November 1987 and 25 February 1988. Most of the censuses were conducted by expeditioners based at Spit Bay, while fur seals at the north-western end of the island were counted by expeditioners based at Atlas Cove. The animals were classified into 8 recognisable age classes, as described in the reference given above. Duration of the pupping season was determined by counting the pups at the eastern end of the island at 3-day intervals. Fur seals were also tagged on the fore-flipper, with blue Dalton Super-flexi cattle ear tags inscribed with INFROM ANTARCTIC AUSTRALIA, and a unique three-digit number between 001 and 500. Most pups were tagged, other age classes were tagged on an opportunistic basis. Abstract from ANARE Research Notes 72 The Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella has increased in numbers at Heard Island since the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) station was established in 1947. Increases have also been recorded at other breeding sites in the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans this century, particularly at South Georgia. In the 1987-88 summer, fur seals at Heard Island were counted in several age and sex categories. The aims of the project were to determine the location of pupping sites, the extent of the pupping season and the size of the population, and to record the changes in numbers of animals ashore during the summer. Maps of the colonies and main haul-out areas, together with descriptions of census areas and tabulations of counts, provide a basis for future comparison. This dataset contains the results from surveys of Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) on Heard Island during the summer of 1987-1988. As well as habitat descriptions, age, sex, count of adults and pups were determined. The three major aims of the ...
|
|---|