Diet composition in pinnipeds is widely estimated using hard prey remains recovered from feces. To estimate the size and number of prey represented in fecal samples accurately, digestion correction factors ( DCF s) must be applied to measurements and counts of fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks. In this study, 101 whole prey feeding trials were conducted with six harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ) and 18 prey species. We derived...

The grouping behaviour of animals is governed by intrinsic and extrinsic factors which play an important role in shaping their social organization. We investigated the influence of ocean climate variation on the grouping behaviour of two widely separated populations of cetaceans, inhabiting north Atlantic and north Pacific coastal waters. The group size of both bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth, UK, and killer whales in J...

Traditionally, marine resources have been managed such that controls on new developments are implemented only when harmful effects on other environmental or economic interests can be demonstrated. This approach poses particular problems for the conservation of coastal cetaceans because potential threats to their populations are diverse and likely to interact, individual threats may result from multiple sources, and the problem...