Gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pupping trends and 2021 population estimates in U.S. waters

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) conducts aerial surveys of the Northwest Atlantic stock of gray seals approximately every 5 years to monitor the size, distribution, and rate of growth of the population in U.S waters. We flew aerial surveys in January 2021 to obtain updated information on gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pupping in U.S. waters, relative to the previous survey flown in 2016. The second edition clarifies total counts of pups in Table 1 and the minimum population estimate. The total count of pups in Table 1 should be 6,469, and there should be a count of 163 for Noman’s island. Using an Nbest of 27,911 and a default CV of 0.20, the minimum population estimate of gray seals in U.S. waters in 23,624. The original version was incorrect. Following an author's notification, about some of the data.