Update: Off-Island Northern Fur Seal Research Program

The Vancouver Aquarium is a far cry from the Pribilof Islands and the surrounding icy Bering Sea. But the six northern fur seal pups that were brought to Vancouver as part of the Off-Island Northern Fur Seal Research Program are thriving with their new life of a hearty supply of fish, a personal doctor and trainer, and their own private pools.

Of course, it is not all fun and games for the newcomers. These seals, known for their enormous dark eyes and thick fur coats, are helping scientists better understand their natural history and the plight of their wild counterparts. Once on the brink of extinction, northern fur seals have earned protected status, but their populations on the Pribilof Islands continue to decline. The information that scientists need to solve the mystery of the fur seals’ dwindling numbers can only be gathered from studying their needs throughout the year. Because they spend most of their lives at sea, returning to land only during the summer breeding season, researchers know little about them outside of this narrow window of time.

Now nine months old, the six female pups recently acquired names from the Grade 4 and 5 students in the Pribilof town of St. Paul, with whom the researchers correspond regularly through teleconferencing, updating the schoolchildren on the pups’ progress. The anglicized names of the pups harken back to their Aleut roots: Meechi (meaning “Ball”), Tikva (Pumpkin), Tuku (Chief), Kyoo (Berry), Aya (Friend), and Ani (Lake).

When they are not taking part in studies or working with the trainers the pups spend most of their time in the water, as they would in the wild. Much of that time is spent grooming. Fur seals rely on their fur to stay warm and constantly attend to it by rubbing it with their flippers.

The trainers and researchers have been impressed by the intelligence of the fur seals and how quickly they learn. The training and interaction with trainers and researchers will continue throughout their lives, keeping them engaged and stimulated.

Consortium researchers are currently studying two important aspects of fur seal biology: 1) how the animals cope with short periods of fasting, which occur regularly in the wild, and 2) how the energy they expend changes at different water temperatures. These are important questions for young animals that can spend up to two years at sea searching for food in the cold North Pacific. These studies are the first of many that will help researchers understand how northern fur seals adapt to their environments and ultimately help pinpoint critical factors that may be causing their decline.

March 23, 2009