Functioning of a Multispecies Haul-out of True Seals (Phocidae) in the Oil Production Region on the Shelf of Sakhalin Island

Abstract

The results of observation of a seal haul-out at the mouth of Piltun Bay on the northeastern Sakhalin coast conducted from 1997 to 2001 are reported. The species composition and spatial structure of the seal haul-out have been studied. The haul-out community is dominated by the largha seal, which is more numerous than the ringed seal and bearded seal throughout the ice-free period. The characteristics of annual, seasonal, and daily variation in the numbers have been estimated, and their mechanisms have been determined. To date, the development of oil deposits on the northeastern Sakhalin shelf has had no negative effect on seals.