Seasonal dive patterns of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island, 1994 – 1998

The initial objective of this dataset was to study the seasonal dive patterns of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island. This study was part of a larger program addressing the foraging behavior of the species. Ten harbor seals were captured using gillnets between 1994 and 1998 at three sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary: Bic Island (48.412°N/68.845°W, n=1 individual), Île Blanche (47.928°N/69.673°W, n=1), anse du Petit-Mitis (48.682°N/68.030°W, n=5) and at Sable Island (43.934°N/59.886°W, n=3). The seals were fitted with a satellite-linked time-depth recorder (SLTDR, Type 3.10, Wildlife Computers) equipped with an Argos transmitter and attached to the nape of the neck. The methods used for capturing and instrumenting the individuals, as well as the data processing, are detailed in Lesage (1999) and Lesage et al. (1999). For most individuals, monitoring began in September and continued until the end of the following spring. Telemetry tracking data for these same individuals are available in this publication: Satellite telemetry data related to seasonal movements of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island,…

Publisher

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Resources

4

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-06-02