—I — 



1960 



\ r* 



r- 



^/ 



:° 





tA o o o o 



(J o oQ o o Qo o 



/S^" ■.' ' Number of animals 

 • squids 

 O fish 



40- 



20-39 

 O 5~ 19 



60° N 



50° 





JL 



Q 20 ~ 39 



O 10-19 



O 5 -9 

 o i~4 



160° E 



X 



180° 



X 



60° N 



50° 



160° W 



140° W 



Figure 35. — Distribution of squids and fish in the stomachs of sperm whales from the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, 1960 and 1963 



(from Okutani and Nemoto 1964). 



the total stomach content volume in 1964 (Fiscus and Kaji- 

 mura 1965). The migration of herring in the Bering Sea is such 

 that in August, herring migrate back to their major winter 

 grounds located northwest of the Pribilof Islands and in late 

 March, they leave the wintering ground and migrate towards 

 the coast where they spawn on intertidal vegetation during 

 spring and early summer. Temperature apparently plays a 

 major role in influencing the time of spawning and the sea- 



sonal distribution in the eastern Bering Sea (Wespestad 1978 21 ; 

 Wespestad and Barton 1981). 



Pacific herring was the principal forage fish eaten by fur 

 seals taken in Sitka Sound in 1958 contributing nearly 46% of 



''Wespestad, V. G. 1978. Exploitation, distribution and life history features of 

 Pacific herring in the Bering Sea. Processed rep. , 25 p. Northwest and Alaska Fish. 

 Cent., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, 2725 Montlake Blvd. E., Seattle, WA 

 98112. 



28 



