Seasonal and diel differences in dive and haul-out behavior of adult and subadult ringed seals (Pusa hispida) in the Bering and Chukchi seas

Abstract

Changing environmental conditions in the Pacific Arctic are expected to affect ice-adapted marine food webs. As such, understanding ringed seal (Pusa hispida) dive and haul-out behavior is vital to understanding if and how these environmental changes affect seal foraging behavior. Working with Alaska Native subsistence hunters, we tagged 14 adult and 20 subadult ringed seals with satellite-linked data recorders in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, during late-September and October 2007–2009. Information about dive and haul-out behavior in the Bering and Chukchi seas was collected for 12–297 days. We analyzed indices of dive depth, duration, and rate, and haul-out probability using a model selection framework for adults during fall (late-September–November) and winter (December–March) and for subadults during fall, winter, and also spring (April–June). We found differences by season and time of day, but not by sex. Where subadults and adults occurred together, they dove to similar depths; although subadults were commonly located in deeper waters where they generally dove deeper than adults. Both age classes dove longer during winter and subadults tended to make a few more (~3.5) dives per hour than adults. Both age classes hauled out less and dove deeper, longer, and more frequently during midday than at other times of day. We suspect that seals dive deeper during midday because their prey migrates deeper. Dive and haul-out behaviors of ringed seals are influenced by a combination of factors, including prey distribution and abundance, sea ice, and seal diving physiology.