Four seasons abundance changes of Zalophus californianus californianus (Lesson 1828), Allen, 1880, in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Abstract

This paper describes for the first time the relative abundance, population structure and numeric variation of California sea lions in the Gulf of California, Mexico, during four different seasons. The relative abundance estimates varied from the highest 17,162 sea lions in July of 1990 (summer) to a minimum 7,470 in February of 1992 (winter), representing a reduction of 10,000 sea lions. Hypotheses about the migration of part of the population to the Pacific Ocean were compared and discussed against their residency inside the Gulf, and seasonal dispersion of individuals along this inner sea.