Diet of New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri): a summary By Laura Boren
DOC Research & Development Series 319. 19 p.
What's it about? New Zealand fur seals (
Arctocephalus forsteri) are increasing in number and expanding to recolonise much of their former range, resulting in a perceived conflict between fur seals and both commercial and recreational fisheries. To assess the level of interaction between fur seals and fisheries, a comprehensive understanding of fur seal diet is needed. This paper summarises what is known about fur seal diet in New Zealand, explains the advantages and disadvantages of various methods for assessing diet, and briefly looks at what information is available from other countries on marine mammal and fisheries interactions. Ten studies on fur seal diet have been carried out in New Zealand. However, most of these have been carried out in the Otago region. Since diet has been shown to vary between locations depending on a number of factors, findings from these studies cannot be applied to the whole of New Zealand. Furthermore, study design and method used to assess diet can greatly affect how data are interpreted and their comparability with other studies. Consequently, more information on fur seal diet is needed to appropriately address the potential for interactions in areas where fur seals have only recently become of increasing concern, and careful consideration needs to be given to study design, the methods employed, and interpretation of the data.
The above new publication is now in press and can be downloaded from:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/drds319entire.pdf (194 KB)
