Abstract
A bstract Harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ) are small pinnipeds that are widely distributed throughout the temperate coastal regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. We determined birth mass, neonatal growth rates, weaning age, and weaning mass of NE Pacific harbor seals ( P. v. richardsi ) during a capture‐recapture study that spanned the nursing period (Sidney Island, British Columbia, Canada). Of 46 harbor seal pups initially captured, 28 were classified as newborns ( i. e. , P. v. concolor ), British Columbia harbor seals are characterized by half the daily mass gain and a longer nursing period.