USING MARK-RECAPTURE TO ESTIMATE THE NUMBERS OF A MIGRATING STAGE-STRUCTURED POPULATION

A model is presented for the joint analysis of mark-recapture data and stage- or age-structured data that allows the population abundance, b irth rates, and migration rates to be estimated in situations where st andard methods may be unreliable. The model assumes that birth rates f ollow a continuous distribution and that migration can be described by a simple Markov process. Application of the model is illustrated usin g mark-recapture and stage-structured data for grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pup production in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and resulted in est imates of 9800 and 10 500 pups produced in 1989 and 1990, respectively .