Harbour Seal (Pacific)

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessment.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for possible further reports on the species.

Species information by the Hakai Institute “Central Coast Biodiversity” http://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/marine-mammals.html

http://www.marinemammal.org/biology/harborseal/fastfacts.php  North Pacific University's Marine Mammal Research Consortium's excellent fast facts; also click "research" and "killer whales" for very current research issues

Photos and information about the birth of a Pacific harbour seal.

Vancouver Sun Article (March 26th, 2007) regarding the proposed cull of seals around Courtenay, BC, Canada.

Article about wanting to restart the cull on harbour seals in BC. Nanaimo Daily News; April 20, 2012 “Thriving harbour seals pose risk to fishers - Numbers have rebounded since lows of the 1960s, prompting some to consider a cull”

Cohen Inquiry in the Decline of the Fraser River Sockeye - technical report absolving seals from being serious predators of salmon; 2011; Project 8 – Effects of predators on Fraser River sockeye salmon ; media related to this report http://www.saveoursalmon.ca/news/2011-Q2/the-mystery-of-the-disappearing-salmon-550/

www.whaleresearch.com/thecenter/Encounters_2008_007.html - amazing photos capture the attack of transient killer whales on a harbour seal and a Dall's porpoise. 

http://www.mi.mun.ca/mi-net/fishdeve/harbor.htm - DFO page 

Scientific paper on seals getting an illness that originates with dogs (Giardia).  Land-based diseases in seals also addressed in this article - Vancouver Sun; February 20, 2012; “Land-based pathogens found in marine mammals - fear funding cuts for investigations may affect human, animal health”

http://www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts/harbourseals.html - Vancouver Aquarium's Aquafacts

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2003/09/02/harbour_seals030902.html - contaminants in habour seals (2003 article)

Pacific Wildlife Foundation’s species information. Be sure you click all the tabs e.g. "distribution" to find out all you can.

http://web.mala.bc.ca/sc403/Sea_Mammals/page14hs.htm - Malaspina University College's fact page

http://www.killerwhale.ca/animals-harbour-seal.html

http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/mammals/whales/accounts/harbour/harbour.htm - Information from the University of Guelph, Ontario.  Be sure to explore all the pages, links given on the left. 

http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/rreo/rreoref/mmammals/sealsandsealions.htm - report from 1984 from Michael Bigg and Peter Olesiuk; dated but still good natural history information

  www.racerocks.com/racerock/marmam/mammals.htm and http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archivemammals.htm
- involvement of Lester B. Pearson School in a fantastic marine mammal project.  Search the site at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/web/sitemap.htm  

www.oceanlink.island.net - Bamfield Research Station’s detailed marine biology page search for your species

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/pinn-pho.htm Not a Canadian page

http://www.dosits.org/gallery/intro.htm - click your species name to hear its sounds! and http://www.dosits.org/animals/intro.htm - study how marine mammals make sound and how sound effects them.

http://www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts/ - Vancouver Aquarium’s web data base of frequently asked questions about marine ecosystems; click "Harbour Seal"


http://www.pagophilus.org/harbour.html - fact sheet  Not a Canadian page

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/harbor-seal/behavior.htm - harbour seal behaviour Not a Canadian page

http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/marine_mammals.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=67 - lots of detail about identification some information about  behaviour and threats. An international webpage. 

http://www.dosits.org/gallery/marinemm/2.htm - click pinnipeds and then harbor seal for acoustic samples

http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/learning/education/pinnipeds/harborseal.asp - This is an American website so be careful when using it for population estimates in BC and COSEWIC status in your report

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Phoca_vitulina.html Not a Canadian page

http://www.palomar.edu/oceanography/harbor_seals/facts.htm - detailed fact sheet Not a Canadian page

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/intermediate.asp?curGroupID=5 - Click "marine mammals" and do a search for your animal. Excellent on-line field guides Not a Canadian page

http://netvet.wustl.edu/marine.htm  - net vet marine mammals; search links for information that may be relevant to your species Not a Canadian page