Grey Seal Pup Production Estimates in Canadian Waters, 2021 Survey

72,209 grey seal pups were counted on Sable Island during the last photographic aerial survey completed in January 2021. The dataset, published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in April 2026, provides a time series of pup production estimates for the Maritimes Region, with Sable Island accounting for 77.5% of total Canadian production.

Use Cases

• Modeling grey seal population trends based on pup production time series mentioned in the description
• Analyzing spatial distribution of breeding colonies based on latitude and longitude coordinates for miscellaneous locations
• Assessing conservation status and population dynamics for specific regions like the Gulf of St. Lawrence and southwest Nova Scotia
• Correcting aerial survey counts using ground-based pup developmental stage data described in the methodology

Strengths

• Provides a specific pup count of 72,209 for Sable Island from the 2021 survey
• Includes estimated pup numbers with standard errors (e.g., 76,600 ± 2,900 for Sable Island)
• Covers multiple breeding colonies, with Sable Island representing 77.5% of total Canadian production
• Data is described as open source with no abbreviations or codes for the Maritimes Region

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• The dataset is restricted to the Maritimes Region, excluding other potential Canadian waters

Provenance

Source

Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Photographic aerial surveys and ground/helicopter-based pup developmental stage surveys

Time Range

Time series up to the last survey in January 2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 13:30:51.154305; freshness should be verified

Geography

Major grey seal breeding colonies in Canadian waters, particularly Sable Island and Coastal Nova Scotia