Washington 



Among the seven designated collection areas (Fig. 6), the 

 ocean area off Washington had the most extensive time cover- 

 age as well as the most variety of prey species eaten by fur seals 



Table 6.— Food of fur seals off Washington, December-June 1958-74. 



Food iiems 



Months 



Jan.' Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Dec. 



Fish: 



Entosphenus tridentatus 



Hydrolagus colliei 



Clupeidae 



A losa sapidissima 



Clupea harengus pallasi 



Engrautis mordax 



Salmonidae 



Oncorhynchus spp. 



O. gorbuscha 



O. keta 



O. kisutch 



O. nerka 



O. tshawytscha 



Salmo gairdneri 



Osmeridae 



Hypomesus pretiosus 



Mallotus villosus 



Th aleichthys pacificus 



Bathylagidae 



Paralepis atlantica 



Myctophidae 



Tarletonbeania crenularis 



Cololabis saira 



Gadidae 



Merluccius productus 



Microgadus proximus 



Theragra chalcogramma 



Gasterosteus aculeatus 



Trachipteridae 



Trachipterus altivelis 



Trachurus symmetricus 



Brama japonica 



Sebasles spp. 



Sebastes entomelas 



Anoplopoma fimbria 



Hexagrammidae 



Ammodytes hexapterus 



Zoarcidae 



Tetragonurus cuvieri 



Pleuronecti formes 



Pleuronectidae 



Unidentified 

 Cephalopods: 



Octopoda 



Loligo opalescens 



Onychoteuthis sp. 



Onychoteuthis borealijaponkus 



Moroteuthis robusta 



Abraliopsis sp. 



Octopoteuthis sp. 



Gonatidae 



Gonatus sp. 



Berryteuthis magister 



Gonatopsis borealis 



Chiroteuthidae 



Chiroteuthis sp. 



Unidentified squid 

 Stomachs with food 

 Stomachs with trace 

 Stomachs without food 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



1 



X 



3 



2 



1 



X 



2 



2 



3 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



2 



3 



3 



4 



3 



2 



3 



- 



4 



3 



2 



3 



- 



4 



- 



2 



3 



4 



4 



3 



2 



- 



- 



4 



- 



2 



3 



- 



4 



3 



1 1 



273 



257 



569 



1.082 



647 



32 



78 



94 



105 



226 



325 



222 



12 



36 



209 



187 



688 



1,014 



475 



17 



38 



than in any of the other six areas (Table 6). Surveys and collec- 

 tions were conducted from late November through early June 

 with March, April, and May receiving the most time coverage. 

 April was the only month in which collections were made dur- 

 ing every collection year from 1958 through 1974. 



The principal prey species utilized by fur seals off Washing- 

 ton included the Pacific herring, capelin, eulachon, northern 

 anchovy, rockfish, salmon. Pacific whiting, sablefish, and the 

 oceanic squid Onychoteuthis sp. These principal prey species 

 contributed from 64 to 99<7o of the total food volume (Fig. 9). 



British Columbia 



Surveys and collections in British Columbia waters occurred 

 from January through June, 1958-68, with extensive time cov- 

 erage primarily during May and April. 



The principal prey species of fur seals taken off British 

 Columbia included the Pacific herring, eulachon, salmon, 

 sablefish, rockfish, walleye pollock, Pacific cod, Gadus 

 macrocephalus, Pacific whiting, Pacific saury, and squids, L. 

 opalescens and Onychoteuthis borealijaponkus (Table 7). 

 These principal prey species contributed from 66 to 95% of the 

 total food volume (Fig. 10). 



Table 7. — Food of fur seals off British Columbia, January-June 1958-72, 



Months 



Food items 



Jan. 1 Feb. Mar. Apr. May June 



Fish: 



Entosphenus tridentatus 



Hydrolagus colliei 



Clupeidae 



Clupea harengus pallasi 



Oncorhynchus spp. 



O. keta 



Osmeridae 



Hypomesus pretiosus 



Thaleichthys pacificus 



Cololabis saira 



Gadidae 



Gadus macrocephalus 



Merluccius productus 



Theragra chalcogramma 



Gasterosteus aculeatus 



Sebastes spp. 



Anoplopoma fimbria 



Ammodytes hexapterus 



Pleuronectidae 



Unidentified 

 Cephalopods: 



Loligo opalescens 



Onychoteuthis borealijaponicus 



Gonatidae 



Gonatus sp. 



Berryteuthis magister 



Unidentified squid 

 Stomachs with food 

 Stomachs with trace 

 Stomachs without food 



4 



4 



X 



- 



3 



- 



X 



2 



- 



X 



X 



X 



2 



X 



4 



3 



X 



2 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



19 



89 



79 



44 



170 



62 



2 



27 



31 



5 



39 



5 



20 



86 



58 



60 



156 



33 



'Numerals indicate the ranking of principal prey species based on percentage of 

 total stomach content volume. 



'Numerals indicate the ranking of principal prey species based on percentage of 

 total stomach content volume. 



Gulf of Alaska 



Surveys and collections in the Gulf of Alaska occurred pri- 

 marily during 1958 through 1968 with greater time coverage 



12 



