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Marine Mammals of Northern Puget Sound & the Strait of Juan De Fuca

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Marine Mammals of Northern Puget Sound & the Strait of Juan De Fuca SD Sf Fccc OF 1 Co NOAA Technical Memorandum ERL MESA 41 c CJ 4 S1ATES O MARINE MAMMALS OF NORTHERN PUGET SOUND AND THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA A Report on Investigations November 1 1977 October 31 1978 Robert D Everitt Clifford H Fiscus Robert L DeLong Marine Ecosystems Analysis Program Boulder Colorado i January 1979 1 f 7 J f fj n Y NATlONAL OCEANIC AND Environmental SPHERIC ADMINISTRATlON Research Laboratories NOAA Seattle Library Northwest Straits Collection f NOAA Technical Memorandum ERL MESA 4l MARINE MAMMALS OF NORTHERN PUGET SOUND AND THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA A Report on Investigations November 1 1977 October 31 1978 Robert D Everitt Clifford H Fiscus Robert L DeLong National Marine Fisheries Service Seattle Washington Marine Ecosystems Analysis Program Boulder Colorado January 1979 UNITED STATES NATIONAL OCEANIC AND Environmental Research DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Laboratories M q Juanita Kreps Secretary Richard A Frank Administrator Wilmot N Hess Director NTOf Report Submitted to MESA PUGET SOU Dn ROJECT MARINE ECOSYSTEMS ANALYSIS PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES by MARINE MAMMAL DIVISION ALASKA FISHERIES CENTER NORTHWEST AND i t r r y NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE I NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION SEATTLE WA 98115 IThis work is the result of research sponsored by the Envi onmental Protection Agency and administered by the Enviionmental Research Lab6ratories of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration I IThe Environmental Research Laboratories do not approve reco mend or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publication No reference shall be made to the Environmental Research Laboratories or to this publication furnished by the Environmental Research Laboratories in any advertising or sales promotion which would indicate or imply that the Environmental Research Laboratories approve recommend or endorse any proprietary herein which has as its prod ct or proprietary material or or the purpose an intent to cause directly indirectly advertised product to be used or purchased because of 1Qis Environmental Research Laboratories publication x t1tt I f 1J l i Y i 1 ii i f I f CONTENTS Page List of Figures v List of Tables ix Abstract 1 1 Introduction 2 I A Marine Mammal Research in Washington 3 I B A List of Marine Mammals of Northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca 5 II Methods and Materials 7 II A Area Study 7 II B Methodology 9 II B l Aerial Study 9 II B 2 Small boat land observations 11 II B 3 Sigh tings from other sources 12 III Results and Discussion 13 III A Accounts Species 13 III A l Order Carnivora 13 III A l a River otter Lutra canadensis 14 III A l b California sea lion Zalophus californianus 17 III A l c Northern sea lion Eumetopias jUbatus 26 III A l d Northern fur seal Callorhinus ursinus 33 III A l e Harbor seal Phoca vitulina richardsi 37 III A l f Northern elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris 80 III A 2 Order Mysticeti 87 III A 2 a Gray whale Eschrichtius robustus 87 III A 2 b Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata 99 III A 2 c Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus 109 III 2 A d Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae 111 Hi Page III A 3 Order Odontoceti 115 III A 3 a Whitehead grampus Grampus 115 gr iseus III A 3 b Pacific white side dolphi Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 117 III A 3 c Saddle back do phin d 118 D elphinu8l elphJs r II A 3 d Fal seki ller whaIe Pseudorca crassidens 119 Globi III A 3 e Shortfin pilQ whale cephala macrorhynchus 120 or 123 III A 3 f K iller whale Grc inus caJ e Phoco III A 3 g Har bor Porpq i 133 phocoena OJ 0 III A 3 h Dal o poise hocoenoides d a 11ii 143 III A J i PygJllY spe ID whale Jogia breviceps 153 III A 3 j Goosebe ak wh ale Z ipius cavirQs ri 155 III A 3 k LNor th p cific giant bottle nQs e lwh al e Berardias bairdi 156 158 III B air Effects on Marine Mammals 158 tfI i3 l riter a1 ur e Review 162 II B 2 Discussion 163 IV and Conclusrons Summary 163 IV A Ce tacecfns 164 IV B Mustelids 166 IV C Pinnipeds 171 V Acknowledgments 172 VI Bibliography iv LIST OF FIGURES Numbers Page 1 The waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca 8 2 Distribution of recent records of river otters Lutra canadensis in northern Puqet Sound and tre Stralt of Juan de Fuca Records include trapping records and field observations adapted from Hirschl 1978 16 3 Location of three major Sucia Is Race Rocks and Sombrio Pt and one minor Tatoosh 1 haul out sites for northern sea lions Eumetopias jubatus and California sea lions Zalophus californianus in northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca 24 4 Northern sea lions at Race Rocks British Columbia 28 5 Pacific harbor seals at Protection Island 38 6 Distribution of locations of haul out sites for harpor seals Phoca vitulina richardsi in northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca 43 7 Cobblestone spit at Minor Island 56 8 Tidal rocks near Puffin Island 57 9 Mudflats at Padilla Bay 58 10 Locations of areas included in the San Juan Wilderness Area numbers refer to Tables 9 10 60 11 Harbor seal Phoca vitulina rlchardsi haul out site locations in northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca Letters A Z refer to T 11 12 numbers 1 17 refer to T 13 14 This igure does not include locations in th San Juan Wilderness Area refer to Figure 10 61 12 General areas 1 17 in northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca for which abundance estimates of harbor seals Phoca vitulina richardsi were made Table 16 62 v umbersI Page 67 13 Harbor seals at Padilla Bay 27 VI 78 14 Smith Island and Minor Island foreground at low 69 tid e 20 VI I 78 15 Harbor seals at Minor Island 24 II 78 70 16 Protection Island Violet Pt is in the foreg round 9 II 78 73 17 Distribution of elephant seal Mirounga angustlrostris sightings in spring March May in Puget Sound and the Strai t of Juan de Fu ca data from Table 17 85 18 Distribution of E7 lephan t seal Mirounga angustirostris and a 1 si ghtils in s mmer JUl Augustf CSeptember t in p uj t S ourfd ci the Str att of Juanfde Fuca Nqyembe ryd c a ta fronT ilble 17 86 19 P tcent ol rriax ilnum 6n thly re sponse Kugus t for each month from October 1 77 to October 1978 of calls received by the publi c cetacean rep6rtiYfg system n O le Hotl ine F igure pourc Bora nq sborne q l J L Wh 88 978 r 1 n 20 Distribution of gr y whale s i h iJslrobustus sightings in fall Septemb r November al winter December February in Puget Sound and the Stt it of Juan de Fuca data from Table 18 95 21 Distribution of gray whale Eschrichtius rqbustus sightings in spring March May in Puget Sound ana the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 18 96 I 22 Distribution of gray whale Eschrichtius robustus sig htings in U e summer June August in Pug et Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca datg froro Tab1e 18 97 a cu toro 23 D is tr ibuti on J mink e Vh ale B cilaenoptera er and strataJ sighting s if fall September Novemb winter December Feoruary ih Puget Sound and the 102 Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 21 vi Numbers Page 24 Distribution of minke whale Balaenoptera acutoro strata sightings in spring in Puget Sound and the t of Juan de data Strai Fuca from Table 21 103 25 of Distribution minke whale Balaenoptera a utoro strata sightings in summer June August in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 21 104 26 of Location two humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae sightings in Puget Sound see Table 22 114 27 Distribution of pilot whale Globicephala macrorhyn chus sightings in spring March May and summer June August in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 25 125 28 Mo ements of J Pod of killer whales Orcinus urca in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 1976 1977 The width of a line represents the relative number of occurrences in anyone area dashed lines represents hypothetical movements based on unconfirmed reports chart courtesy of K Balcomb Moclips Cetological Society 129 29 Movements of L Pod of killer whales Orcinus orca in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca inI976 1977 The width of a line represents the relative number of occurrences in anyone area dashed lines represents hypothetical movements based on unconfirmed reports chart courtesy of K Balcomb Moclips Cetological Society 130 30 Distribution of harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena sightings in fall September November and winter December February in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 26 135 31 Distribution of harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena sightings in spring March May in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 26 136 vii N umse rs Page 32 D stribution of harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena and sightings in summer June August in Puget Sound the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 26J 137 33 Dist tGution of Dall porpoise Phocoendoides dalli ifg Ei gi in spring March May in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca data from Table 2 145 34 Distribution of Dall porpoise Phocoendoides dalli aig tings in the summer June hugust in Puget Sound ancCfhe SfraU of Juan de Fuca data from Table 28 146 35 Distribution of Dall porpoise Phocoendoides dalli tember in Sound s ightingsi in falL Sep November puget and the S tra it of Juan de Fuc lda ta from Table 28 147 36 Total number of northern sea lions and California sea et Sound l ions occurring in the waters of northern Pug and the Strait of Juan de Fuca Becember 197 7 ita October 1978 169 viii t f LIST OF TABLES Number Page 1 of field Summary activities conducted by the Marine Mammal Division under contract with NOAA s MESA
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