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1	Biology and conservation of the Cape (South African) fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus (Pinnipedia:Otariidae) from the Eastern Cape coast of South Africa Stewardson, Carolyn Louise. January 2001 (has links) Thesis (Ph. D.)--Australian National University, 2001. / Title from PDF title page (viewed May 8, 2005). Consists of reprints of thirteen published papers, some co-authored with others, plus an introductory chapter, two unpublished manuscripts, and a conclusion. Includes bibliographical references.
2	Recolonisation of the Robberg Peninsula by the Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus and its prey preferences Huisamen, Johan January 2012 (has links) The Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus colony at the Robberg Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay, on the south-east coast of South Africa, was driven to extirpation by indiscriminate harvesting by the late 1800s and seals only began to recolonise this site in the 1990s. This study describes the recolonisation process from 2000 to 2009, exploring within- and between-year variation in the number of seals using the site. Numbers increased over the study period from less than 300 animals to over 3 100. Year and month were important in explaining variability in seal counts, whereas sea condition, time of day and lunar phase had minimal explanatory power. Within-year variation in seal counts decreased during the study period, which may indicate an increasing proportion of resident (as opposed to transient) seals in the colony. However, the colony is currently still in a transition phase with a low ratio of breeding to non-breeding animals and low numbers of pups born on the colony (currently still < 100 per year). The influx of seals to the Robberg area may be associated with an increase in prey availability in the area. The relative protection afforded by the Nature Reserve status of the Robberg Peninsula and the existence of a Marine Protected Area adjacent to it are likely to contribute to the growth of this colony. However, human interference associated with fishing and/or ecotourism on the Peninsula may prevent the colony from developing into a breeding colony. Faecal (scat) sampling was employed to study the diet of this increasing seal population at Robberg. Species composition and size of prey were determined, temporal variation in the diet was explored, and the potential for competition between seals and the fisheries around Plettenberg Bay was investigated. Of the 445 scats collected, 90 % contained hard prey remains. These comprised of 3 127 identified otoliths representing 15 teleost prey species, 25 cephalopod beaks representing three 6 species and three feathers representing two bird species. The seals' most important prey species in terms of numerical abundance and frequency of occurrence in the diet were anchovy, sardine, horse mackerel, sand tongue-fish and shallow-water hake (in decreasing order of importance). The proportion of anchovy in the diet increased during the study period, while sardine decreased. Sardine was the only species that increased significantly in the diet during the upwelling season. Little evidence was found of direct competition between seals and linefisheries in Plettenberg Bay, both in terms of prey species composition and quantities consumed. Scat sampling in seals holds promise as a method to track long-term changes in prey species availability. The conservation and management of this colony are discussed in light of the research findings.
3	Biology and conservation of the Cape (South African) fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus (Pinnipedia: Otariidae) from the Eastern Cape Coast of South Africa Stewardson, Carolyn Louise, carolyn.stewardson@anu.edu.au January 2002 (has links) [For the Abstract, please see the PDF files below, namely "front.pdf"] CONTENTS. Chapter 1 Introduction. Chapter 2 Gross and microscopic visceral anatomy of the male Cape fur seal with reference to organ size and growth. Chapter 3 Age determination and growth in the male Cape fur seal: part one, external body. Chapter 4 Age determination and growth in the male Cape fur seal: part two, skull. Chapter 5 Age determination and growth in the male Cape fur seal: part three, baculum. Chapter 6 Suture age as an indicator of physiological age in the male Cape fur seal. Chapter 7 Sexual dimorphism in the adult Cape fur seal: standard body length and skull morphology. Chapter 8 Reproduction in the male Cape fur seal: age at puberty and annual cycle of the testis. Chapter 9 Diet and foraging behaviour of the Cape fur seal. Chapter 10(a) The Impact of the fur seal industry on the distribution and abundance of Cape fur seals. Chapter 10(b) South African Airforce wildlife rescue: Cape fur seal pups washed from Black Rocks, Algoa Bay, during heavy seas, December 1976. Chapter 11(a) Operational interactions between Cape fur seals and fisheries: part one, trawl fishing. Chapter 11(b) Operational interactions between Cape fur seals and fisheries: part two, squid jigging and line fishing. Chapter 11(c) Operational interactions between Cape fur seals and fisheries: part three, entanglement in man-made debris. Chapter 12 Concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni & Zn) and organochlorine contaminants (PCBs, DDT, DDE & DDD) in the blubber of Cape fur seals. Chapter 13 Endoparasites of the Cape fur seal. Chapter 14(a) Preliminary investigations of shark predation on Cape fur seals. Chapter 14(b) Aggressive behaviour of an adult male Cape fur seal towards a great white shark Carcharodon carcharias. Chapter 15 Conclusions and future directions. Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus Pinnipedia Otariidae seals Cape fur seal South African fur seal South Africa Algoa Bay Black Rocks Bird Island Plettenberg Bay Eastern Cape coast biology anatomy age growth reproduction testis morphology skull baculum sexual dimorphism suture age diet prey species dive behaviour foraging behaviour satellite telemetry commercial harvest sealing population size fisheries fishermen bycatch entanglement operational interactions heavy metals PCBs DDT pollution parasites predation shark great white shark storms pup mortality threats conservation management.

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