Ice Seal Tracking Maps Archive

06/175/2019 – 07/189/2019

Requested Tracking Map
From 24 June to 8 July, we received locations for 2 bearded, 5 ringed, and 1 spotted seal. All five ringed seals moved east of Point Barrow, toward Cape Halkett, staying close to remnants of sea ice (see "zoomed in" map). Bearded seal BS17-02-F (red square), tagged near Koyuk in September 2017, was still in the southern Chukchi Sea, north of the Chukotka Peninsula. Bearded seal BS18-01-F (green square) was still in the northcentral Chukchi Sea, north of Wrangel Island, Russia. Spotted seal SS18-02-M (brown circle) made localized movements and hauled out near Scammon Bay. Sea ice data are courtesy of the U.S. National Ice Center, dated 8 July 2019 (http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/daily_products.html).

During this project, seals were tagged in the following locations: Kotzebue Sound, in collaboration with the Native Village of Kotzebue, in 2014; near Koyuk in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018; near Hooper Bay in 2015; near St. Michael in 2015 and 2016; near Scammon Bay in 2016, 2017, and 2018; near Nome in 2016 and 2017; near Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019; near Buckland in 2017; and near Nuiqsut in 2017 and 2018. We collaborated with the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management to tag seals near Utqiaġvik and Nuiqsut. Funding for seal tagging has been provided by BOEM (SPLASH and SPOT tags, Wildlife Computers, Redmond, WA) and the Office of Naval Research (CTD tags, Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrews, UK). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Laboratory provided seven flipper (SPOT) tags that were deployed on spotted seals. Current maps, archived maps, and additional project information, including the types of tags deployed, and links to updates for our other projects, Ice Seal Biological Monitoring and Harvest Monitoring, can be viewed on our webpage. Seal research is conducted under NMFS permit #20466 issued to ADF&G and under an approved ADF&G Animal Care and Use Committee Protocol #0027-2019-41.

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