

January 



Lo/igo opatescens 

 Sabledsh 





Pacific herring 

 Pollock 





Cod 



Pacific whiting 

 Pollock 

 Pacific herring 



Sabtefish 

 Pacific whiting 

 Salmon 



Pacific herring 



Onycnoteuthis 

 borealijaponicus 



Salmon 

 Pacific herring 



March 



May 



Cod 



Sablehjh 

 Rockfish 

 Pacific herring 



Rockfish 

 Eulachon 

 Sablefish 

 Pacific herring 



Pacific saury 

 Cod 



Salmon 



Onychoteuthis 

 borealijaponicus 



January— June 

 Combined months 







April 



1 



Freq. (percent! 

 | Vol- (percent) 



25 50 



Percent 



Pollock 



May 



F 





Atka mackerel 

 Berryuuthls 



magister 



Capelin 

 Sand lance 



lurte 









magtsier 





Capelin 



■^^^ 





Sand lance 





50 







July 





25 50 

 August 



Salmon 





Berryteuthis 

 magister 



Pacific herring 



Atka mackerel 



Capelin 



i 



Capelin 





i 





, 1 







Pacific herring 







25 

 September 



50 





25 50 71 

 Percent 



cant) 

 entl 



Atka mackerel 





Capelin 









25 

 May -September 



Combined month 

 Atka mackerel ^^J 



Berryteuthis 

 magister .BUB 



50 



75 100 

 1 1 f"1 (». 



H Vol. IPCF 



Capelin 







Sand lance 









25 

 Percent 



50 





Figure 10.— Principal forage species of northern fur seals off British Columbia, 

 1958-72. 



Figure 12. — Principal forage species of northern fur seals in western 

 Alaska, 1958-74. 



Capelin 

 Pacific herring 



April 

 Rockfish ^ 



Gonatus spp. | 

 Pollock H - 



Capelin ^m 



Berryteuthis 

 magister 



Pollock 



Capelin 



Sand lance 



May 



B 



found in these two reports, the annual reports, the NPFSC 

 reports, and in Lander (1980). 



The discussion in this report will focus on the principal prey 

 species of fur seals based on stomach content volumes and 

 relative abundance of fishery resources off California and in 

 the eastern Bering Sea and, to a minor degree, on some princi- 

 pal prey species in other areas of collection. 



California 





June 



Pacific herring 



j 



Capelin 



y 



Salmon 



a 



Sand lance 









Pollock 

 Pacific herring 



: ebruary— July 

 Combined months 



Capelin 



nm^i 



Sand lance 



^■T 



25 50 



Percent 



Salmon 

 Squid 

 Sand lance 

 Capelin 



Freq. (percent) 

 Vol Ipercentl 



Figure 11.— Principal forage species of northern fur seals in the Gulf of 

 Alaska, 1958-68. 



Three species — the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax. 

 Pacific whiting, and market squid — were among the four lead- 

 ing forage species consumed during the 6 yr of collection off 

 California, and the Pacific saury, Cololabis saira, was among 

 the leading species during 2 yr. These four species were prob- 

 ably the most abundant prey available to fur seals off Califor- 

 nia during those years. Other species also presumably abundant 

 and available to fur seals at the same time include jack mackerel, 

 Trachurus symmetricus, rockfishes, Sebastes spp., sablefish, 

 Anoplopoma fimbria, and the oceanic squid, Onychoteuthis 

 sp. The market squid is generally found over the continental 

 shelf whereas Onychoteuthis sp. inhabits deeper offshore 

 waters. As can be seen in Tables 1 and 2, the distributions of 

 many prey species overlap in several areas and some species are 

 consumed throughout their eastern Pacific range. 



The northern anchovy, jacksmelt, Atherinopsis calif ornien- 

 sis, Pacific whiting, rockfish, and squid were the leading prey 



10 



