Antarctic Fur Seal Population Dynamics at Cape Shirreff, 20-Year Study

An 86% population collapse of Antarctic fur seals at Cape Shirreff since 2007 is documented in this 20-year field study. The dataset includes population counts, body condition, natality, and foraging behaviors, collected by the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Leopard seal predation, consuming an average of 69.3% of pups annually since 2010, is identified as a primary driver of the decline.

Use Cases

• Modeling population decline drivers based on long-term count and mortality data.
• Analyzing predator-prey interactions based on leopard seal predation rates.
• Assessing foraging habitat quality changes based on trip duration indices.
• Evaluating conservation status and genetic diversity risks for edge populations.

Strengths

• 20 years of longitudinal field data from the largest colony in the South Shetland Islands.
• Includes multiple biological metrics: population counts, body condition, natality, and foraging behaviors.
• Analysis identifies a specific predation impact, with leopard seals consuming 69.3% of pups annually on average.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided in PDF format, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

Collection Method

Field-based data collection including population counts, body measurements, and behavioral observations.

Time Range

Covers a 20-year study period, with specific analyses referencing data since 2001 and 2007.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:06:46.350865; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, northern Antarctic Peninsula.