MOVEMENTS AND BEHAVIOR OF SATELLITE-TAGGED SPOTTED SEALS (PHOCA-LARGHA) IN THE BERING AND CHUKCHI SEAS

Satellite-linked tags were attached to 12 spotted seals (Phoca largha) captured at a coastal lagoon in the eastern Chukchi Sea during August 1991-1993. Movements of seals were tracked for 32-298 days using the Argos system. Of 9,651 total location records obtained, 7,268 were usa ble. Individual seals were located on 41-96% of the days that tags wer e operational. During August-November, tagged seals alternated haulout s at coastal sites lasting 1-304 h with trips to sea of 14-901 h. Coas tal haul-outs occurred at 14 sites in western Alaska and eastern Russi a. On several trips to sea, seals covered distances of more than 1,000 km. Movement southward from the Chukchi Sea generally began in Octobe r, with most of the seals passing through the Bering Strait during Nov ember. Seals first hauled out on sea ice in October (Chukchi Sea) or N ovember (Bering Sea), and generally moved southward during October-Dec ember as sea-ice coverage increased. Seven seals, whose transmitters w ere still operating, spent December to June in the Bering Sea region b etween Kuskokwim Bay and Anadyr Gulf, which corresponded to the locati on of the ice front. The seals made active east-west movements within the ice front. Spotted seals are unlike other ice-breeding seals in th at they regularly use coastal haul-outs during summer and autumn. Comp ared to the closely related Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richar dsi), spotted seals make much longer trips to sea and spend longer con tinuous periods at their haul-outs during summer and autumn.