This summary will provide an update on NOAA-AFSC’s latest research on seal-vessel interactions jointly conducted with the National Park Service. This research builds on studies since 2002 on ice-associated harbor seals in Disenchantment Bay which have focused on proximate effects such as when, where, and at what distances vessels were causing a disturbance. By employing GPS satellite tracking (for both seals and ships), we aim to address broader population-level effects, and in particular to better understand how vessels entering glacial ice habitats may approach and alter the haul-out behavior of nursing pups, thus potentially increasing their energetic costs of thermoregulation in the water. There is concern that chronic disturbances could reduce body mass of pups at weaning and survival, and ultimately impact population stability.
