A Dataset from Bio-loggers Deployed on Ribbon Seals (Histriophoca fasciata) and Spotted Seals (Phoca largha) in the Bering Sea, 2005-2018

Ribbon seals (Histriophoca fasciata) and spotted Seals (Phoca largha) are important subsistence resources for the indigenous people of coastal northern and western Alaska, as well as key components of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and Arctic marine ecosystems. Yet relatively little about their abundance, seasonal distribution, migrations, or foraging behaviors has been documented scientifically. The population health of these two ice-associated seal species may be negatively impacted by offshore oil and gas development, commercial fishing, and increased shipping in addition to the wide range of ecosystem impacts stemming from unprecedented climate change in the Bering Sea. Our ability to predict impacts on population health, however, is limited by inadequate knowledge of seal population structure, movements, and foraging ecology. Starting in 2005, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center began a multi-decadal study of ribbon and spotted seals in the central and western Bering Sea. By working cooperatively with Alaska Native subsistence hunters we learned how to live- capture ribbon and spotted seals in the Bering Sea marginal pack ice between April and June. Each seal was released with up to two different types of bio-logging devices from Wildlife Computers (Redmond, Washington, USA): the SPOT5/6, attached to a rear flipper, provided information on the timing of hauling out and on the seal’s location for up to three years. The SPLASH/MK10, glued to the top of a seal’s head, nape, or back, provided the same information as well as data on the timing and depths of dives. SPLASH/MK10 deployments remained active up to ten months and were shed from the seal during the annual molt. The data files within this dataset represent the 'raw' data obtained from the Wildlife Computers data portal. Each deployment (unique tag id + animal id combination) is provided as a zipped archive.

带纹海豹（Ribbon seal, Histriophoca fasciata）与斑海豹（Spotted seal, Phoca largha）是阿拉斯加北部及西部沿海原住民重要的生存狩猎资源，同时也是北太平洋、白令海与北极海洋生态系统的关键组成部分。然而目前学界对其种群丰度、季节分布、迁徙行为及觅食模式的科学记载仍相对匮乏。这两种依赖海冰的海豹物种的种群健康，可能受到近海油气开发、商业捕捞、航运活动增加的负面影响，同时白令海地区前所未有的气候变化所引发的广泛生态系统影响，也会对其构成威胁。然而，我们对海豹种群结构、移动规律及觅食生态学的认知不足，限制了我们预测其种群健康受影响情况的能力。自2005年起，阿拉斯加渔业科学中心（Alaska Fisheries Science Center）启动了一项针对白令海中部与西部海域带纹海豹和斑海豹的数十年长期研究。通过与阿拉斯加原住民生存狩猎者合作，我们掌握了在4月至6月期间的白令海边缘浮冰区域活体捕捉带纹海豹与斑海豹的技术。每只海豹被放归前，都会被搭载最多两款来自美国华盛顿州雷德蒙德市Wildlife Computers公司的生物记录设备：安装在后鳍肢上的SPOT5/6标签可提供海豹上岸时间与位置信息，续航时长可达三年；粘贴于海豹头顶、颈背或背部的SPLASH/MK10标签，除上述信息外，还可记录潜水的时间与深度数据。SPLASH/MK10标签的有效工作时长可达十个月，并会在海豹年度换毛过程中自然脱落。本数据集内的数据文件均为从Wildlife Computers数据门户获取的"原始"数据。每个标记部署（由唯一标签ID与个体动物ID组合构成）均以压缩归档文件形式提供。