Steller Sea Lions: Marine Mammal Research Consortium

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Time Flies When You’re Tagging Seals The field season has now drawn to a close and Consortium research teams returned home. But before they traded the Bering Sea for highways, traffic lights, and of course, data compilation, we caught up with Chad Nordstrom and Brian Battaile to find out how they fared. See full story >> October 29, 2009
Scat Science Aiming to improve upon traditional methods of reconstructing pinniped diets, Consortium researchers recently integrated cutting-edge DNA technology into a conventional method of analyzing scat samples — and proved that a little change can indeed be a good thing. See full story >> September 16, 2009
The Fasts of Life Seasonal Differences in Biochemical Adaptation to Fasting in Juvenile and Subadult Steller Sea Lions Fasting is a significant part of the Steller sea lion’s life history, but until recently, researchers knew little about the physiological changes that occur while the animal goes without food. Consortium researchers recently delved into the biochemical details of fasting—and emerged with interesting findings. See full story >> August 20, 2009
‘Tis the (Field) Season The UBC Fisheries Centre is a flurry of activity as researchers prepare for their summer field seasons. Here is a look at some of the adventures that await them. See full story >> July 7, 2009
Cutting the Costs of Foraging Consortium researchers studying the costs of foraging in Steller sea lions recently discovered that the animals spend less energy during longer series of continuous dives than shorter ones. Intrigued, they focused on how sea lions manage their oxygen while foragingand came to an interesting conclusion. See full story >> June 3, 2009
Ecopath, Virtual Ecosystems, and the Status of the Gulf of Alaska Not all Consortium research takes place in natural ecosystems, or even with live subjects. A team of researchers employed an innovative software program to reconstruct and understand two ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska that are drastically different today compared to the past. They will be presenting their findings at an upcoming conference highlighting the ability of Ecopath software to describe and predict the dynamics of complex marine ecosystems. See full story> May 11, 2009
Annual Report announcement The Consortium has published over 160 papers since university based researchers came together to delve into the mysterious decline of Steller sea lions and other species in Alaska. The 2007-2009 Annual Report summarizes some of our latest findings and points to the complexity of the mysteries still to be resolved. See full story> April 21, 2009
Update: Off-Island Northern Fur Seal Research Program In December 2008, six northern fur seal pups arrived at the Vancouver Aquarium as part of a new research program to study fur seal biology and causes of population decline. Three months after their arrival, the pups have settled in and are beginning to reveal secrets about the needs of fur seals during winter. See full story >> March 23, 2009
Putting a Price Tag on Habitat Conservation Consortium researchers recently developed a method to evaluate the economic costs of habitat-driven fishery closures. By taking spatial considerations and environmental variables into account, they came up with a relevant approach to determining the financial cost of habitat conservation. See full story >> March 3, 2009
Summertime Blues Does time of year affect recovery from nutritional stress? Alaska’s stormy winters would seem to pose a bigger challenge to survival for Steller sea lions than the relatively mild summers. But a new Consortium study suggests that summer is a more critical period for sea lions under nutritional stress. Following a prolonged reduction in quantity and quality of prey, sea lions appeared to recover more slowly in summer than in winter, which could affect their survival and reproduction. see full story >> February 9, 2009
Reconstructing the Past Prehistoric data helps to assess modern Pacific cod fishery The Aleut word for Pacific cod translates to “the fish that stops”. A recent study using prehistoric palaeoecological data provides clues to the origins of this word, as well as insights into natural cycles that cod have experienced for thousands of years. The bones recovered from middens also provide a basis for evaluating the effects of modern day fisheries on the size of Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska. See full story > January 20, 2009
Off-Island Northern Fur Seal Research Program Six northern fur seal pups recently joined a research colony of Steller sea lions to help resolve another ecological mystery in the North Pacific. see full story>> December 11, 2008
Critical Habitat Revisited Researchers Develop Predictive Model to Improve Legislation Federal laws that designate Critical Habitat have played a key role in conserving marine mammals in Alaska, but the information they are based on is now dated. Consortium researchers have used more recent knowledge to better predict the occurrence of sea lions at sea, providing policy makers with new tools to refine and update current legislation designating Critical Habitat. See full story>> Nov. 24, 2008
A Feast of Fur Seals Studying killer whale predation in the Pribilof Islands Each summer in northern Alaska, the world’s largest gathering of northern fur seals provides a reliable source of food for mammal-eating killer whales. Consortium researchers ventured to the remote Pribilof Islands to study the impact of killer whale predation on fur seal populations—and made a surprising discovery. See full story>> November 4, 2008
The Benefits of Buoyancy? Female sea lions routinely pack on the pounds in spring and slim down with the arrival of fall. Do these changes in body composition – and their affect on buoyancy – impact diving and foraging at depth? Using trained sea lions in an open water environment, a recent study investigated the effect of buoyancy on energy expenditure while diving. See full story>> October 14, 2009
Videogram from the field Another successful field season has wrapped up. Join documentary film maker Simon Schneider as he reports from the field on some of this summer's activities. See full story>> September 29, 2008
Toward a Common Goal Scientists Share Dataset to Advance Research Among the challenges facing researchers in the eastern North Pacific Ocean is the complexity of the marine ecosystem, and the lack of physical descriptions of the state of the ocean. To address this knowledge gap, Consortium scientists have compiled a comprehensive set of environmental data about the ocean and are sharing it freely with fellow researchers. see full story>> September 2, 2008
Deconstructing the Diet New Model May Help to Quantify Prey Consumption Studying the diet of marine mammals can reveal important information about their ecological role. But traditional techniques of analyzing diet are imperfect. Recently, Consortium researchers tested a model designed to determine the relative proportions of prey consumed by harbor seals. The innovative process examines the unique chemical remnants of prey that are incorporated into the seal’s living blubber. See full story >> July 21, 2008	Harbor seals at the Vancouver Aquarium
Hormone Changes Shed Light on Nutritional Stress Steller sea lions have different energetic needs in each season—and in each season the body responds differently to food shortages. Recently, scientists examined the seasonal changes in hormone levels in Steller sea lions under a restricted diet. They found that sea lions are most vulnerable to food shortages at times of year when key human fisheries, which compete for the same prey, are most active. See full story >> June 23, 2008
Treading Lightly in Breeding Areas Scientists Seek to Reduce Disturbance on Rookeries Steller sea lion researchers face a dilemma: how can biological field samples be collected from breeding sea lions without disturbing them? New research suggests an approach that may paint an accurate dietary picture while reducing the presence of scientists in sensitive areas. See full story >> June 2, 2008
A Meeting of Minds Workshop brings scientists together to seek common solutions Studying marine mammals in a captive environment has made a valuable contribution to marine science and conservation. But this branch of science can be challenging, expensive, and controversial. In November 2007, a group of scientists attended a two-day workshop entitled "Marine Mammals in the Lab: Tools for Conservation and Science", to address common challenges faced by the community of researchers who study captive marine mammals. See full story >> May 12, 2008
Fast Foraging Scientists Measure Underwater Acceleration in Three Dimensions What is the best way to measure the energy expended by diving Steller sea lions? A new study tests underwater acceleration as a novel way to estimate the energetic cost of foraging. See full story >> April 21, 2008
From the Field: Tagging Transient Killer Whales in Southeast Alaska: Part II: Night-time Follow and Tag Recovery Killer whale researcher Volker Deecke reports from Southeast Alaska on his study of the nocturnal hunting habits of transient killer whales. In the second of two instalments, Deecke describes the challenges of tracking a group of killer whales through the fjords to recover a valuable data tag. See full story >> March 25, 2008
Accelerating Research How can we determine where and when sea lions and fur seals capture prey? Researchers working at the Vancouver Aquarium are developing novel technology that they hope will answer this question. A recent video-report prepared by the Content Production Group of the Vancouver Aquarium provides fascinating insights into how this intriguing question is being solved. see more>> March 4,2008
From the Field: Part 1: Tagging Transient Killer Whales in Southeast Alaska Killer whale researcher Volker Deecke reports from Southeast Alaska on his study of the nocturnal hunting habits of transient killer whales. In the first of two instalments, Deecke describes observing and recording two predation events in one day. See full story >> February 13, 2008
A year in the life of Consortium research Can entire populations of Steller sea lions virtually disappear in less than 40 years? And if so, which of nature’s mechanisms determine the success or failure of these populations? Is human activity to blame, or are they simply casualties of the ocean around them? Dozens of Consortium scientists are working collaboratively to answer these questions and many more. This report represents a year of their work and findings. See full story >> 30 January 2008
Journey Across the Bering Sea: Tracking Tag Found on Remote Beach, Yields Valuable Dive Data This past summer, a Consortium tracking tag was found on a remote Western Alaska beach after traveling over 1,400 miles (2,260 km) across the Bering Sea in less than four years. The tag’s data provided a glimpse into the life of a young Steller sea lion, furthering efforts to understand the fine-scale diving behavior of sea lions in Southeast Alaska. See full story >> January 10, 2008
Decisions at Depth In the daily search for food, diving marine mammals must make the best use of the oxygen in a single breath of air. Their need to breathe air is a well-documented limitation on foraging. But new research suggests that competing demands for metabolic energy – acquiring prey, digesting prey and staying warm – are also important considerations in the study of foraging behavior. See full story >> November 29, 2007
Appetite for Destruction? New Research Puts Killer Whale Predation in Context Are commercial whaling and hungry killer whales to blame for western Alaska’s sea lion woes? A team of researchers tested this hypothesis by examining the changes that occurred in other North Pacific ecosystems where whaling occurred. What happened after the last whale was landed? See full story >> November 5, 2007
In Pursuit of Prey New Research Studies Foraging Behavior in Trained Sea Lions Do sea lions forage at an optimal depth? Do they prefer a specific density and type of prey? By observing the foraging decisions made by trained sea lions, scientists are working to better understand the metabolic requirements and foraging behavior of sea lions in the wild. See full story >> October 17, 2007
An Ocean Divided A New Approach to Classifying Marine Ecosystems Ecosystem mapping has long been used to help terrestrial ecologists understand how organisms interact within a discrete environment. But in the ever-changing ocean, determining the boundary between ecosystems can be a challenge. New research suggests a method for mapping marine ecosystems by combining satellite images and oceanographic data. See full story >> October 1, 2007
Surveying Sea Lion Diets in Southeast Alaska Sea lions require energy for swimming, foraging, nursing and breeding – and a shift in their diet can have dramatic consequences for entire populations. A new study investigates the diet of sea lions in Southeast Alaska, with a view to better understanding why that population increased while Western Alaskan sea lions declined in recent decades. See full story >> September 17, 2007
DNA Analysis Provides Dietary Clues Scientists studying the diets of Steller sea lions have come up with an innovative use of DNA analysis to determine the relative proportions of prey in sea lion feces. A new study tests the accuracy of this novel technique, and assesses its potential use in sea lions and other animals. See full story >> August 24, 2007
At Home on the Coast What do sea lions look for in a home? Why do they inhabit some shorelines and ignore others? By studying the physical characteristics of sea lion haulouts and rookeries, scientists hope to better understand which factors determine the resting and breeding sites of sea lions. See full story >> 25 July 2007
Sound Science: Using Sound Playback to Study Marine Mammals in the Field Sound is king in the murky world beneath the waves. But how do marine mammals use sound to communicate, find food, and avoid danger? A recent study reviews dozens of experiments that played back recorded sounds to marine mammals in their natural habitat, in order to better understand their response to predators, prey, and each other. See full story >> 5 July 2007	Spectogram (a visual representation of sound) of a killer whale calls.
To the Depths on a Breath In sea lions how much energy does a diving sea lion obtain from single breath of air? A group of scientists recently measured oxygen consumption in trained Steller sea lions diving in the open ocean. The results are helping to explain the behaviour of foraging sea lions in the wild. See full story >> 11 June 2007
Life in the Fasting Lane *Is age and season the secret to surviving lean times?* Periodic fasting is a way of life for Steller sea lions. But when prey is scarce, a prolonged fast can be disastrous. Are sea lions better able to tolerate fasting at certain ages and specific times of year? A new study asks these questions and more. See full story >> 7 May 2007
Grooming the Kelp Forest *Is there a universal link between otters, urchins and kelp?* What happens to a marine ecosystem when its key predator disappears? A group of scientists examined the complex relationship between sea otters, sea urchins, and the kelp forest. Their results suggest that removing sea otters can have unexpected results that appear to vary regionally. See full story >> 24 April 2007
Killers in the Dark – the night-time behavior of mammal-eating killer whales Mammal-eating killer whales have tremendous appetites and could exert substantial predation pressure on their prey populations, yet next to nothing is known about what these animals do at night. Some of the first insights are now coming in thanks to the use of innovative digital recording tags. See full story >> 11 April 2007
Part 6: Steller Sea Lion Research Movie Solving the Sea Lion Mystery How is it that an animal that was once so abundant and so magnificent has disappeared in such a short period of time? Solving this mystery requires an integrated research program that involves laboratory, captive and field studies. Join Dr. Andrew Trites as he shows how researchers are bringing all three approaches together to solve this puzzle once and for all. See full story >> March 26, 2007
Sea Change: Ocean Climate and the Shifting Fortunes of Alaska's Steller Sea Lions While many hypotheses have been presented to explain the decline of Western Alaska’s Steller sea lions, no single explanation has uncovered an underlying cause. Recently, however, a team of scientists reviewed the evidence that an abrupt shift in ocean climate in the late 1970s may have set the stage for the far-reaching changes evident today. Their “ocean climate hypothesis” seeks to provide a single framework to explain and unite these various theories. See full story >> 5 March 2007
Turning Point: Analyzing the Physics of Foraging What’s in a turn? To begin to understand how much energy a swimming sea lion uses to out-maneuver predators and prey, scientists analyzed the dynamics of a simple 180° turn. Their results showed that Steller sea lions are among the most maneuverable of the marine mammals. See full story >> 15 February 2007
Scratching the Surface: Ecosystem Models Reveal Subtle Interactions Was the decline of Steller sea lions caused by fishing, ocean climate change, or predation by killer whales? Results from a recently published study that reconstructed the marine ecosystems of the Aleutian Islands and Southeast Alaska provides a fresh perspective. See full story >> 31 January 2007
Part 5: Steller Sea Lion Research Movie Hazy's Trial Hazy, a hand-raised Steller sea lion, has begun a second set of studies to determine how much energy sea lions use to dive and find food at different depths. Join Hazy and her trainer as they work together to unravel another of nature's mysteries in this video report from the field. See full story >> 15 January 2007
Summer Field Season 2006 Field Update #5: Far From the Field Researcher Pamela Lestenkof spent the summer at her home in the remote Pribilof Islands, where she studied the foraging behavior of the island's fur seal population. Now back at her home-away-from-home at the University of British Columbia, the next phase of her research begins. In this final field update she describes the months of data analysis ahead, which she expects will yield valuable information about the degree of spatial overlap between fur seal habitat. See full story>> 4 December 2006
Season of the Sea Lion: Are the impacts of nutritional stress seasonally dependent? If you crave salad in summer and comfort food in winter, you are not alone: the diets of many people – and even animals such as Steller sea lions – also vary with the seasons. But sea lions do not always get enough of the right type of food, and a new study of their dietary patterns shows that food shortages in different seasons can have dramatically different effects. See full story>> 20 November 2006
Summer Field Season 2006 Field Update #4: Wrapping up a successful field season Fur seal biologist Pamela Lestenkof reflects on a successful summer of research in the remote Pribilof Islands. In this update she details some of the trials and tribulations of her field research, as she prepares to return home to analyze the data she collected over the summer months. See full story>> 6 November 2006
Probing the Depths on a Single Breath How much energy does a diving sea lion use? What’s in a breath of air? For Steller sea lions, whose bodies are finely tuned for diving, a single breath is all it takes to dive as deep as 100m in search of food. Recently scientists studied a trio of trained Steller sea lions – diving in the open water – to find out how the depth and distance of a dive affected how much energy they require. See full story>> 23 Oct. 2006
I, Predator In the last half of the 20th century, a new top predator has emerged in the world’s oceans: humans. While human fisheries handily out-consume and out-compete other marine life, it is difficult to estimate the extent to which human activities affect entire ecosystems. In a new study, Drs. Andrew Trites, Villy Christensen and Daniel Pauly examine the differences between fisheries and traditional top predators. See full story>> 2 October 2006
Summer Field Season 2006 Field Update #3: Tracking fur seals in the Bering Sea In her third update from the remote Pribilof Islands, field researcher Pamela Lestenkof describes how she tracks northern fur seals on their week-long foraging trips. Using special tags, she seeks to understand which parts of the Bering Sea are important foraging grounds for fur seals, and whether these areas overlap with commercial fisheries. See full story >> 25 September 2006
Sea Lions of the world book announcement Sea Lions of the World brought the world community of sea lion authorities to Alaska to address current knowledge of world sea lion populations in order to compare them with Steller sea lions and identify areas for further research. The outcome of five days of meetings and presentations are contained in a recently published book. See full story>> 12 September 2006
Summer Field Season 2006 Field Update #2: Living off the Land In her second update from the Pribilof Islands, Researcher Pamela Lestenkof describes the annual fur seal subsistence harvest – an important tradition for Pribilof Islanders. She uses the opportunity to gather some valuable data on the size and growth rates of local fur seals. See full story>> 31 August 2006
A Less-than-Steller Field Season In early summer, a legal dispute erupted between the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Humane Society that put an immediate halt to all field research on Steller sea lions in U.S. waters. While a few activities have since resumed, the loss of an entire season of data has jeopardized many long-term studies. Has this well-intentioned effort actually compromised the work of dozens of researchers working to save a species? See full story>>> 21 August 2006
Summer Field Season 2006 Field Notes from the Pribilof Islands Investigating the Northern Fur Seal Decline It is summer in the Bering Sea, and graduate student Pamela Lestenkof has returned to her home in the Pribilof Islands in time for the arrival of thousands of northern fur seals who breed here each year. Lestenkof will spend the summer studying the foraging ecology of these protected animals in an effort to understand why their populations are dwindling. In the first of a series of exclusive field reports, Lestenkof discusses her research and life in the Pribilofs. See full story >> 26 July 2006
Puzzle in the Pribilofs Consortium researchers set sights on northern fur seals Each summer, nearly three-quarters of the world's northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) migrate to a small island chain in the eastern Bering Sea. Once hunted to near-extinction, fur seals made a remarkable comeback over the past century. But today's populations are declining once again, and Consortium scientists are working to identify the causes. New research and a new section on this website address the plight of Alaska's northern fur seals. See full story>> 12 July 2006	northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus)
Feast, Famine & the Maternal Instinct During the first two years of life, South American sea lions survive on mother’s milk and are frequently left unattended on shore while the mother forages for fish. When prey is plentiful, foraging trips are short. But during ocean climate events such as El Niño, fish can become scarce—and a prolonged foraging trip by a nursing sea lion can mean starvation for her pup. A new study suggests that the pattern of maternal attendance among female South American sea lions could be a reliable indicator of environmental change in the ocean. See full story >> 14 June 2006
From Milk to Fish *The weaning of Steller sea lions in Alaska* Along the shores of Alaska’s rugged coast, female Steller sea lions struggle against the odds to raise their young. As the pups wean from mother’s milk and learn to forage for themselves, they are especially vulnerable to shortages in prey. A new study examines how the age of weaning might be linked to nutritional stress and, ultimately, the decline of Steller sea lion populations in western Alaska. See full story >> 17 May 2006
On the Trail of the Kodiak Killers In the waters off Kodiak, Alaska, a group of six mammal-eating transient killer whales displays an unusual dietary preference: they appear to hunt only Steller sea lions. Their efficiency at hunting these otherwise challenging prey has earned them the nickname “Kodiak Killers”. Biologist Craig Matkin is studying the impacts of the Kodiak Killers on local sea lion populations and the surrounding ecosystem. See full story >> 3 April 2006
Steller Sea Lion Research: A six part movie series- Episode 4 Hazy's Progress Late last year, Vancouver Aquarium and Marine Science Centre staff transferred a Steller sea lion named Hazy to an innovative open water research site. There, she is helping scientists to understand how much energy she uses when diving and foraging at depth. See full story>> 1 March 2006
Ring Neck As we explored some of the most pristine areas of the coast, I was struck by the picturesque beauty and rugged expanse of our coast. What I was not prepared for, however, was my introduction to ring-necks. See full story>> 8 February 2006
Steller Sleuths Predict Probability of Extinction Is the extinction of Steller sea lions just a matter of time? A recently published paper explores the past, and makes some predictions for what lies ahead for sea lions in western Alaska. See full story>> 23 January 2006
Steller Sea Lion Research: A six part series Part 3: Panning for Gold One of the best ways to determine what goes into the diet of a Steller sea lion is to measure what comes out the other end. This procedure, called scat analysis, helps scientists to better understand what sea lions eat. In the long run, it may help to conserve wild populations. See full story>> 6 January 2006
Role of Disease Disease is among the many possible causes behind the decline of Alaska's Steller sea lions. But while the pattern of decline is consistent with a disease outbreak, researchers face a lack of material evidence such as infected carcasses. A recent study searched for more circumstantial proof—a presence or absence of disease antibodies in Steller sea lion populations—to answer some key questions. See full story >> 30 November 2005
That’s A Wrap: The 2005 Field Season in Review Killer whales, gray whales, northern fur seals, Steller sea lions and a giant squid made for a varied and fascinating field season that extended from British Columbia to the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. See full story>> 14 November 2005
D'em Bones! To many, the world's scientific collections represent an odd and almost macabre assortment of biological specimens and artifacts. Far from simply hoarding the spoils of scientific plunder, however, these collections are a veritable treasure trove of information. A team of researchers recently embarked on an ambitious survey of the world's collected Steller sea lion skulls in order to gain a glimpse into their subject's past. What they learned may help to ensure a future for today's dwindling Alaskan Steller sea lion populations. See full story>> 27 October 2005
Fecal Frenzy: How Much Scat is Enough? In the race to understand the possible link between diet and the decline of sea lions in Alaska, researchers have been hauling out thousands of bags of scats from offshore rocks and islands to pan for fish bones. But have they been collecting enough? See full story>> 26 September 2005
Steller Sea Lion Research: A six part series Part 1: A Relationship of Trust Obtaining research data from an Steller sea lion that outweighs a human by hundreds of pounds is no small feat. But for sea lion trainer Billy Lasby, it's a simple recipe of patience, trust and hard work. The first episode in a six-part series examining the Steller Sea Lion Research Project at the Vancouver Aquarium. See full story >> 9 September 2005
From The Field: Steller Watch- A Year in the Life of a Sea Lion A small but intrepid group of scientists is spending a year observing Steller sea lions on a small remote Island in Alaska. This update on their study and experiences is just in. See full story>>> 16 August 2005
Leapin’ Lipids! In Search of the Ultimate Steller Diet If you think choosing a healthy diet for yourself is difficult, imagine how challenging it is for scientists to figure out what kind of fish are best for Steller sea lions. Scientists are trying to determine whether a change in fish stocks in Western Alaska may have put the entire Steller sea lion population in jeopardy. A recent study on Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium explored the physiological effects of high-lipid (fatty) and low-lipid (lean) diets on sea lion health, reproduction, and survival. See full story>> 14 June 2005
Raising a Stink Over Sea Lions Scientists studying the sharp population decline of Alaska's Steller sea lions are literally trying to resolve the mystery from the inside out using DNA analysis. See full story>> 25 April 2005
A ‘Sound’ Approach to Assessing Fish Stocks Little attention has been given until now on how to assess the abundance of prey species that are eaten by Steller sea lions, but are of no interest to commercial fisheries. See full story>>> 4 April 2005
Hot Spots Hips and shoulders pose a particular challenge for Steller sea lions when it comes to staying warm in the frigid waters of the North Pacific. See full story>>> 21 March 2005
Fast Food A recently published study on the nutritional value of pollock has found that roe-bearing fish contain less nutritional energy than pre-spawning ones — a finding that bodes poorly for Steller sea lion populations. See full story >> 7 March 2005
Got Milk? Milk stealing might seem like an enticing option for a starving pup on the lookout for nourishment. Yet, this option is rarely acted on, with most pups opting to starve rather than face the hazards. Two astonishing observations of suckling pups have shed greater light on this issue and the questions that surround the timing of weaning. See full story>> 21 February 2005
Hazy Moves to the Open Water Watch "Hazy's Moving Day", our small movie that documents and discusses Hazy's contribution to Steller sea lion research as she joins the Open Water Research Project. See full story>> 7 February 2005
Transient Killer Whales: Hunting With the Strong, Silent Type A research team set out to study the vocal communications of mammal-eating killer whales and found a powerful tool to study their predatory behavior. How do you know when a group has made a kill? Listen to the whales – they will usually let you know. See full story>> 21 January 2005
South American Sea Lions What happens to a population of South American sea lions when a change in ocean currents causes their food supply to virtually disappear? A five-year study investigating the effects of El Niño on sea lions in Peru's Ballestas Islands produced some interesting answers to this question, and provided valuable information about how female sea lions survive unexpected food shortages. See full story>> 6 January 2005
High-Tech Solutions Help Solve Dietary Puzzle Are seals and sea lions eating more octopus or salmon than we think? A team of molecular scientists and geneticists has been called in to try to solve a long-standing problem. See full story>> 22 November 2004
International Accolades for Open Ocean Research Project The Steller Sea Lion Open Ocean Research Project is making waves in Sweden where the International Marine Animal Training Association recently met. See full story>> 9 November 2004
Satiation and Compensation in Young Steller Sea Lions How does a sea lion know how much to eat, and how does it compensate if there is a change in the types or amounts of fish available to them? Insights into these intriguing questions are available from a recently published study. See full story >> 18 October 2004	sea lion being fed
Killer Whales: Easier to See or to Hear? Researchers have traditionally used ship-based sighting surveys to determine how many killer whales occur in a given area. Recent research suggests that tapping into their underwater communication may be a better way to find killer whales. See full story >> 4 October 2004
Steller Watch Two seasoned biologists are set to live for one year amongst 600 Steller sea lions on a mall remote island in Alaska. Project "Steller Watch" is underway. See full story>> 14 September 2004
Killer Whales Had enough of sea lions? Check out our web site’s newest addition: a section entirely devoted to the study of killer whales! See full story>> 16 August 2004
How Big is Big? Determining the size of pollock consumed by sea lions using defecated bones is not as straightforward as one might think. Three recently published studies have developed a new method for reconstructing size that shows that sea lions have been eating much bigger pollock than originally thought. See full story>> 12 July 2004
WANTED: Furry Transmitters Twenty-one young Steller sea lions have been swimming around Southeast Alaska for the past 3-6 months with a variety of data-loggers and tracking devices on their heads and backs. Help is needed to find these transmitters. See full story>> 16 June 2004	data logger
Solving the Sea Lion Puzzle Fishing, killer whales, commercial whaling, junk food and regime shifts? Research results presented in Kodiak Alaska suggest that ocean climate may be the key piece to resolving the mystery of the disappearing sea lions. See full story >> 14 May 2004
Hold the Hot Sauce! You know that warm feeling you get after a large meal? Consortium researchers have been conducting experiments to determine whether Steller sea lions can use the heat generated by digestion to help stay warm in frigid Alaskan waters. The results of a new scientific publication may surprise you! See full story >> 7 April 2004
Extinction Risks Looking into the Steller's future requires more than a crystal ball. Whether or not the Steller sea lion will go extinct in Alaska is debatable, but preliminary results of a population viability analysis suggest that sea lions in some regions of Alaska may fare better than others. See full story >> 8 March 2004
Killer Diets Killer whales have been fingered as a prime suspect in the disappearance of sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. A recently published study peered into the stomachs of dead killer whales and asked mariners about their observations to assess the strength of evidence supporting the hypothesis that killer whales are a major predator of sea lions. To learn more about these killer diets. see full story >> 23 February 2004	flipper tags from Steller sea lions found in killer whale stomach
Pup and Adult Interactions Top notch training and a core group of 13 steller sea lions lie at the heart of the Consortium's successful captive research program. See full story >> 11 February 2004	Adult and pup Steller sea lions
Identifying Marine Ecoregions using Physical Oceanography Dividing the North Pacific Ocean into Ecoregions that reflect fish habitat and the abundance of fish available to Steller sea lions is no small challenge. But progress is being made one grid cell at a time from Washington to Alaska! See full story >> 21 January 2004	Oceanic ecoregions
New Searchable Bibliography You can learn more about what scientists have discovered about Steller sea lions over the past two centuries using our new online Steller sea lion searchable bibliography. Our search engine allows you to find sea lion articles by year, author or keywords. Full story >> 5 January 2004
Going to Sea with Sea Lions! For most animals, their top priority is to find enough quality food while avoiding predators. Steller sea lions are no exception. Understanding how they achieve these activities is fundamental to figuring out why some sea lion populations are fairing better than others. Full story >> November 17 2003
Newest additions to the Steller Research Team! Five Steller sea lion pups have joined the research team in Vancouver to understand why the western population has been declining in Alaska. To find out more about their upbringing and research contribution. see full story>> 24 October 2003
Digestion & Passage Times How long does it take a fish to pass through a sea lion's gut? And what species are most likely to make it to the bitter end? Results from a recently published study are in. See full story>> 14 October 2003
Notes from the Field Consortium researchers recently wrapped up a successful summer field season in the Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, Southeast Alaska and British Columbia. The studies focused on killer whale predation, Steller sea lion diets and the effects of human disturbance on sea lions. See full story>> 29 September 2003
Sea Lions Join Open Ocean Research Program Two sea lions recently moved from the Vancouver Aquarium to a waterfront research station to prepare for upcoming open water studies. This marks the first time that anyone has ever studied trained Steller sea lions in the wild. To learn more about this exciting new project. see full Story>> 17 September 2003
Disease A recently published review provides new insights into the role that disease may have played in the decline of Steller sea lions in Alaska. Full Story>> 3 September 2003
Heart Rate & Energetics Estimating how much food Steller sea lions are consuming in Alaska might just be a heart beat away. Full story>> 16 June 2003
Nutritional Stress Are Steller sea lions nutritionally stressed? The answer is contained in a recent publication that reviewed 3 decades of research findings. See full story >> 28 April 2003	Steller's off the east coast of Alaska
Killer Appetites in Western Alaska Results from the winter killer whale count are still being compiled. Meanwhile, preliminary results are in from the first of a three-year in-depth study of killer whale predation on Steller sea lions in western Alaska. See full story>> 7 April 2003	killer whale dorsal fin
Food Webs: Who Eats Whom and How Much? Answers to this question are contained in a recent review of marine food webs and the amounts of food that marine organisms consume. Insights into the decline of Steller sea lions are also drawn from a food web analysis. Full story >> 17 March 2003	Bering sea food web
Mud, Scales and Sea Lions Sediment cores from the bottom of the ocean are helping researchers to reconstruct the past so that changes observed today can be put into context with changes that have gone on for hundreds to thousands of years. Full story >> 3 March 2003	Bottom core back on land
Steller Appetites! Steller sea lions prey on many species of fish. A recent publication has estimated how much sea lions consume in Alaska. To obtain a copy and learn more about the study. See full story >> 3 February 2003
Steller sea rats? A recently published paper in the British Journal of Nutrition used lab rats to examine the possible effects of pollock and herring on the growth and reproductive success of Steller sea lions. See full story>> 20 January 2003
Size of Prey How big are the fish that Steller sea lions eat, and how can you determine this from fecal remains? Consortium researchers are solving this puzzle with some help from Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. See full Story >>> 6 January 2003
Metabolic Depression in Steller sea lions Getting less to eat would make anyone upset. A recent study by Consortium scientists has revealed that inadequate food supplies can make Steller sea lions outright depressed (in a physiological sense)! Full story >> 13 Nov 2002	Resting Steller sea lions
Steller sea lion house party! Renovations are now complete on an exciting new Steller sea lion research facility. For a behind the scenes See Full story >> 30 Oct 2002	Steller sea lion in new research area
Sharks Researchers don't know what role sleeper sharks and salmon sharks may have played in the decline of Steller sea lions. Some suspect they are major predators of Steller sea lions while others think they are more of a competitor than a predator. To get to the bottom of this mystery, shark researchers are calculating numbers of sharks with one hand, while live-capturing and releasing sharks with the other -and they have their hands full! See full story >> 16 October 2002	researchers preparing to measure shark
Steller sea lion Regime Shifts Steller sea lions, harbour seals and northern fur seals experienced declines beginning in the late 1970s in parts of Alaska. Other species such as king crabs, shrimp and herring also appear to have declined, while pollock and arrowtooth flounder increased. Some researchers have linked these sharp changes in abundances to regime shifts. A recently published review of the effects of regime shifts on the North Pacific by Ashleen Benson and Andrew Trites delves into this complex subject and draws a sobering conclusion for fisheries management. Full story >> 1 Oct 2002
One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish, Blue Fish! Remains from over 20,000 fish were recovered and counted from the scats of Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium. Recently published results from this study reveal differences between species of fish that affect the reliability of dietary estimates made from scats collected in the field. For all the numbers, and all the stats see. See full story>> 8 August 2002	Blue rockfish skeleton
Results of the Sea Lion Swimming Competition are Out! In the world of Otariid Olympics, the bulk of Steller sea lions would seem ideal for a sport like weight lifting. But a recently published study by Consortium scientists has shown that they can also compete against their fellow marine mammals in the swimming events! Full story>> 17 July 2002
Staying Warm Steller sea lions can not wear sweaters, so how do they stay warm in the cold Alaskan water? M.Sc. candidate Kate Willis is conducting experiments to determine just how much energy they use when swimming in waters of different temperatures. Full story>> 24 June 2002
Satiated Sea lions How much fish, could a sea lion steal, if a sea lion could steal fish? Consortium researchers want to find out! Full story >> 22 May 2002	Sea lion feeding from trough
How much food do Steller sea lions need? A recently published paper has an answer to this question that provides insight into why young sea lions are more at risk from nutritional stress than their parents. Full story >> 24 April 2002	Differences in food consumption
Attendance Patterns Winter is commonly thought to be the most critical time in the life history of young Steller sea lions. Some have speculated that young sea lions are unable to dive as deep as their mothers during winter and cannot obtain enough to eat. A recently published study by Andrew Trites and Boyd Porter questions this conclusion based on behavioral observations of pups, yearlings and mothers at a winter haulout site in Alaska. Full story >> 3 April 2002	Researchers making behavioral observations
Dem Bones! Biologists are applying cutting edge techniques to determine what happened to Steller sea lions. One of these techniques - Stable isotope Analysis - uses the concentration of different forms of carbon and nitrogen in bones to estimate changes in the productivity of the ecosystem, or changes in where in the food web animals are feeding. Amy Hirons, Don Schell and Bruce Finney recently studied the bones of Steller sea lions, northern fur seals and harbour seals collected in Alaska from 1951 to 1997. Their recently published study suggests that productivity in the North Pacific may be lower today than in the past when pinniped populations were significantly larger. Full story >> 21 March 2002	Skull of a 6 year old Steller sea lion
Are you what you eat? A promising new technique is being tested using two captive Steller sea lions to determine dietary history and foraging ecology. Full story >> 4 March 2002
Panning for Bones: The principal way to determine what sea lions eat is to identify what bones are contained in their scats (feces). Full story >> 18 February 2002	Dish with sorted Pollock bones
UPDATE on Steller Sea Lion Pups In the summer of 2000 Consortium Scientists brought 5 Steller sea lion pups to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. The pups are now 1.5 years old. Here is an update on how the research is going. Full story >> 7 January 2002	Steller sea lion pups
Whiskers Steller sea lions' whiskers and bones contain elements of the food they eat. Dr. Amy Hirons from the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been studying the concentration of stable isotopes in these whiskers. She has been looking for whether the concentration in whiskers collected over 5 decades has changed. Full story >>	Steller sea lion whiskers
Scat Scooping Our freezers are almost empty! Since July, technicians have been busy cleaning 1,200 Steller sea lion scats (feces) collected in southeast Alaska and British Columbia. Full story >> 13 November 2001	An undigested angular from pollock on right (digested on left)
Steller Stories Georg Wilhelm Steller published the first scientific paper on Steller sea lions in 1751. Since then over 271 papers and articles have been written about Steller sea lions. Find out more about what scientists have learned over the past two centuries from a recently published annotated bibliography. Full story >> 2 Nov. 2001
Pups! The latest additions to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre family only arrived in mid August, but already they're helping shed light on the habits and physiology of their species. Full story >>> August 2001