516 



Fishery Bulletin 88(3). 1990 



UJ 



O 



oc 



LU 

 Q. 



1981 



Figure 6 



Seasonal percent prey eomp<isitii)n (PPC) of 9 prey taxa 

 found in 1304 California sea lion scats, 1981-86. No 

 samples were collected in winter 1986. 



Pacific whiting was found during summer-autumn 



1984 and winter 1985 when many individuals were 

 found in scats. Rockfish was consistently found in scats 

 throughout the study, but more individuals were rep- 

 resented during summer- autumn 1984 and winter 



1985 than other times. Market squid was found in ex- 

 tremely low occurrence, composition, and number in- 

 dex levels (<5.6%) or was absent from scat samples 

 from winter 1984 through spring 1985. Pelagic red crab 



occurred primarily during the 1983-84 California El 

 Nino period. Pacific mackerel occurred in the scat 

 samples more often in 1982 than during the following 

 years, but was represented by few individuals from 

 1981 to 1986. Blacksmith occurred in scat samples 

 throughout the 1981-84 period, but during the 1985-86 

 period it occurred inconsistently in the diet. Octopus 

 appeared in the samples from spring 1983 to autumn 

 1984, and spring-summer 1986. 



