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.