Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) use of the Bering Glacier habitat: Implications for management

Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) use of a haulout in Vitus Lake at the terminus of the Bering Glacier (60° 5′ N, 143° 30′ W) was characterized by conducting 69 aerial surveys over the 2001–2003 period. Harbor seals were observed hauling out only on low, flat icebergs in Vitus Lake, predominantly (80% ± 3%) at the head of Seal River. There was a marked increase in seal abundance in the fall (from <200 to >900 seals), and as seal abundance increased, the average number of seals per iceberg remained relatively constant (10 ± 1 seals/iceberg), while the average number of...