-61- 



seals' return in the 20th century, and by 1969, Budd and 

 Downes sighted 143 there. The 1963 fur seal population 

 on Heard Island of 500 seals reached 1,000 by 1969 (Budd, 

 1970) . 



4) Food Habits 



The staple food of southern fur seals is krill, 

 Euphasia superba , with fish (Nototheniidae) of importance 

 to juvenile and non-breeding adult diets (Bonner, 1968). 

 Squid are also eaten. Russian harvest of Notothenia rossii 

 (240,000 tons/season) off the coast of Kerguelen and South 

 Georgia did not have an apparent effect on the nearby fur 

 seal populations (Bonner, 1976). 



b. Southern elephant Seals ( Mirounga leonina) 



This species has been the focus of several Antarctic 

 and subantarctic investigations (Laws, 1953a, 1953b, 1964, 

 1956a, 1956b, 1960) . The elephant seal review in Erickson 

 and Hofman (1974) is also relied on in the following para- 

 graphs . 



1) Distribution 



Prior to heavy exploitation in the 1800 's, elephant 

 seals were found throughout the subantarctic islands and 

 northerly continental areas. Intense sealing either reduced 

 numbers to minor remnant populations or wiped them out al- 

 together. Herds on South Georgia (presently the largest) , 

 Macquarie Island, Kerguelen, Heard Island, Marion Island, 

 the South Orkney Islands, and the South Shetland Islands 

 are known to have existed in the past, and in some cases 

 persist. The elephant seals' range appears to be expanding 

 as it slowly recovers. 



2) Standing Stock 



Still below initial population levels, the present 

 southern elephant seal population level is about 600,000 

 (Table 8). These estimates (Bonner and Laws, 1964; Laws, 

 1977a) are probably fairly accurate approximations of 

 abundance at breeding when seals congregate in traditional 

 areas and can easily be counted. Of course, non-breeding 

 individuals and unknown rookeries must be accounted for in 

 the estimates. 



3) Reproduction and Annual Cycle 



Mature bulls first return to the rookeries and 

 establish territories sometime in August (depending upon 



