Fatty acid data for captive eiders and their prey at the Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, Alaska, NPRB Project 0724, Sep 2007 - Jan 2008

These data are part of a study detailed in Wang et al. (2009) NPRB Final Report 724.
Between September 19, 2007 and January 16, 2008 we performed a feeding study with 8 adult male spectacled eiders
(Somateria fischeri) and 8 adult male Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) housed at the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC)
in Seward, Alaska, USA to validate quantitative fatty acid (FA) signature analysis (QFASA) to estimate the diets of eiders.
We collected adipose tissue biopsies from the eiders and prey samples to analyze for FAs. Sixty-nine days before the first
biopsy, the diet composition of the eiders consisted of approximately 88% Mazuri and 12% treats of krill, clams, silversides
and mussels which were standardized and rotated on a regular basis. On Day 0, all spectacled eiders were switched to a diet
of 56% krill and 44% Mazuri, and all Steller's eiders were switched to a diet of 66% krill and 34% Mazuri for 21 days. After
which all spectacled eiders were switched to a diet of 52% silverside and 48% Mazuri, and all Steller's eiders were switched
to a diet of 66% silverside and 34% Mazuri for 29 days. Biopsies were taken on Day 0, 21, and 50. Data presented are the raw
FA data for individual spectacled and Steller's eiders and prey analyzed in this study. These datasets were archived as part of the North Pacific Research Board legacy project recovery effort undertaken by Axiom Data Science and NPRB in 2025. The goal of the recovery effort was to assess the NPRB-funded data projects from 2002 to 2014 and archive final data packages that were ready for publication to increase long-term accessibility and discoverability. Data packages were archived as is given limited funding and resources.