Attachment between Harbour seal (<i>Phoca vitulina</i>) mothers and pups*

Renouf, Deane; Lawson, John W.; Gaborko, Linda

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1983.tb02089.x

Cited by 35 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The behaviour of the mother and pup during the lactation period seems to vary among common seals in different habitats. On the one hand, there are populations showing a very strong and continuous bond between mother and pup; these include the populations in the Humboldt Bay, California (Knudtson 1975), the Shetlands (Venables and Venables 1955) and New foundland, Canada (Renouf et al 1983). On the other hand, there are other populations in which the mothers leave their pups on the haul out and move out to sea to forage.…”

Section: Mother-pup Bondmentioning

confidence: 98%

Response of common seals (Phoca vitulina) to human disturbances in the Dollard estuary of the Wadden Sea

Osinga¹,

Nussbaum²,

Brakefield³

et al. 2012

Mammalian Biology

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We dedicate this paper to the memory of our colleague Renske Hekman who studied the seals in the Dollard in the summer of 2010. a b s t r a c tThe Dollard area is a core breeding area of common seals, Phoca vitulina, in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Seals mainly use this area in the birth season, and it is at this time that mother and pup pairs are prone to disturbance. Seals in the Dollard lie on sandbanks close to the dyke area which exposes them to various human activities on land and in the coastal waters.The colony of common seals on the sandbanks of the Dollard has increased from 77 individuals in 1993 to 332 in 2010. Observations were made during the pupping and lactation seasons in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In total, 692 h of observations were made over the last 4 years, and a total of 1329 potential disturbances were recorded. Human activities were more frequent on land than on water or in the air. In total, most disturbances were also recorded as arising from land. Actual disturbances of seals were recorded 344 times; seals were alerted 249 times and seals escaped into the water 95 times. An escape response was observed for 81 of the 1037 (7.8%) recorded land activities, 6 of the 92 (6.5%) recorded water activities, and 8 of the 200 (4%) air activities. These percentages of escape responses did not differ significantly between the land, water and air activities.The construction of a culvert in the dyke in 2001, and the building up of sand ridges along the water flow towards the culvert, provided the seals with an extra place to haul out. Land activities only affected seals resting on these sand ridges which are at a distance of 50-200 m of the dyke. Boats have the potential to disturb seals on all sandbanks of the study area. They affected the highest number of seals per disturbance, with up to 117 animals fleeing into the water. Flying at lower altitudes appeared to cause more disturbances of seals. Therefore, the effect of flying at low altitudes (150-300 m) warrants further investigation.Disturbances which lead to fleeing into the water create the potential risk of separating pups from their mothers. This may contribute to the high incidence of orphaned pups found in the Dollard region. Yearly numbers fluctuated between 13 and 24 orphans representing a substantial proportion of the seals born in this area (with highest pup counts of ca. 100). In addition to separation, disturbances may also impact the condition of pups if they occur repeatedly during suckling.The results of this study demonstrate that disturbance is caused by various human activities to a colony of seals using sandbanks close to the mainland. As these disturbances pose a risk that pups become orphaned or are impacted in terms of their body condition, efforts should be made to minimise the effects of human presence.

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Section: Mother-pup Bondmentioning

confidence: 98%

Response of common seals (Phoca vitulina) to human disturbances in the Dollard estuary of the Wadden Sea

Osinga¹,

Nussbaum²,

Brakefield³

et al. 2012

Mammalian Biology

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“…In previous studies of maternal behaviour in Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), we have elaborated upon the unique difficulties which this pinniped species faces in ensuring that the mother and her offspring stay together from birth until weaning (Renouf & Diemand, In press;Renouf, Lawson et al, 1983). Our work with a breeding colony ofabout 700 Phoca vitulina at Miquelon, a small French department off the South Coast of Newfoundland, indicated that the pups are predisposed at an early age, possibly less than 40 min after birth (Lawson, 1983), to follow their mother's movements analogous to the manner in which precocial avians imprint upon their mothers (Lorenz, 1937).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…0022-5460/84/040583 + 08 $03.00/0 583 0 1984 The Zoological Society of London of the relationship. She appears t o monitor the youngster's movements, most obviously so in the water where the pup is more mobile, and very clearly so when the pair have been flushed into the sea by a disturbance (Renouf, Lawson et al, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The vocalization of the Harbour seal pup (Phoca vitulina) and its role in the maintenance of contact with the mother*

Renouf

1984

Journal of Zoology

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The Harbour seal pup is predisposed to follow its mother's movements which helps to ensure that the pair stays together. The mother monitors her pup's following and it is argued in this paper that she does so primarily by listening to the frequent, individually characteristic vocalization of her pup. This call can be produced in air and water simultaneously and as such could serve as a precise location mechanism.

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“…Disturbance near the time of parturition, when the mother-pup bond is just being established, can cause mother-pup separations that result in permanent abandonment and subesequent starvation of pups (Johnson 1977, Renouf et al 1983, Osinga et al 2012. Disturbances also disrupt nursing and resting times for pups.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of voluntary mitigation in reducing harbor seal disturbance

et al. 2013

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Marine and coastal tourism has rapidly expanded worldwide in the past 2 decades, often occurring in once secluded habitats. In Alaska, tourism near tidewater glaciers has attracted millions of visitors and increased the presence of ships, tour vessels, and coastal development. Although sustainable tourism, resulting from balanced effects on wildlife and client satisfaction, is a goal of most tourism operators, it is not always achieved. Voluntary compliance with viewing guidelines and codes of conduct have been encouraged, but few assessments have the longitudinal scope to evaluate long‐term changes in impacts on wildlife and the ability of vessel operators and kayak guides to sustain lower impact operating practices over time. This study assessed vessel and kayak visitation and resulting impacts on harbor seals in the Kenai Fjords National Park, southcentral Alaska. We obtained observations from 2002 to 2011, using remotely controlled video cameras located near Aialik and Pedersen Glaciers in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Overall, disturbance was associated with 5.1% of vessel sightings, 28% of vessel interactions (vessel observed within approx. 300 m of seals), 11.5% of kayak sightings, and 61% of kayak interactions. Results demonstrated that voluntary changes in operations significantly reduced vessel and kayak disturbance of seals by 60–80%. Even with prior establishment of operating guidelines, tour vessel captains were able to further reduce their effect on wildlife with more careful operations. Rapid growth of guided kayak excursions that occurred during this study caused greater disturbance to seals than motorized vessels but guide trainings helped reduce disturbances. Diminished impacts of motor vessels and kayakers persisted across years although effects of kayaks were less consistent than motor vessels, which reflected greater variability in inter‐annual spatial use patterns by kayakers. Long‐term monitoring, including assessments of wildlife responses to vessel and kayak operations, combined with 2‐way communication with vessel operators and guides, enhanced the effectiveness of mitigation and facilitated adaptive adjustments to mitigation protocols over time. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

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Attachment between Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) mothers and pups*

Cited by 35 publications

References 12 publications

Response of common seals (Phoca vitulina) to human disturbances in the Dollard estuary of the Wadden Sea

Response of common seals (Phoca vitulina) to human disturbances in the Dollard estuary of the Wadden Sea

The vocalization of the Harbour seal pup (Phoca vitulina) and its role in the maintenance of contact with the mother*

Efficacy of voluntary mitigation in reducing harbor seal disturbance

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