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    • Sea Lion Diet Data

    Metadata Updated: May 24, 2025

    California sea lions pup and breed at four of the nine Channel Islands in southern California. Since 1981, SWFSC MMTD has been conducting a diet study of sea lions at San Clemente Island (a small rookery) and San Nicolas Island (a large rookery). Information on the diet of sea lions is obtained from analyzing scats (i.e., fecal samples) and spewings (i.e., vomitus) collected at those two rookeries in January (winter), April (spring), July (summer), and October (autumn). Otoliths (a crystalline structure within the ear organ) from fish and beaks (mandibles composed of chitin) from cephalopods are recovered from the samples by washing each sample through sieves of varying mesh size. Otoliths and beaks, which are shaped and sized differently for each species of fish and cephalopod, respectively, are used to identify and enumerate fish, and cephalopods consumed by sea lions. Also, otoliths and beaks are measured for estimating size of prey being consumed by sea lions.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date May 15, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date May 24, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 1981 (creation), (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS SWFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date May 15, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date May 24, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 1981 (creation), (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:30917
    Access Constraints Cite As: Southwest Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Sea Lion Diet Data [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/30917., Access Constraints: FISMA Controls are in place to protect stored data from unauthorized access and/or disclosure., Use Constraints: User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Acknowledgement of NOAA SWFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained, in any publications and/or other representations of these data is requested. The user is responsible for the results of any application of these data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long -119.43
    Bbox North Lat 33.29
    Bbox South Lat 33.21
    Bbox West Long -119.58
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Harvest Object Id 6c64311b-4bde-458b-8fce-197c8aa65e8d
    Harvest Source Id bc62ff6c-c119-4409-94c7-7dd202b24462
    Harvest Source Title NMFS SWFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage Scat samples collected in field are stored in freezer, then thawed prior to processing. Each scat sample is given a code number, then washed through sieves from which hard-parts (fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks) are collected. Prey identified and enumerated from prey hard-parts. Data entered onto Microsoft Excel worksheets, then transferred to Microsoft Access database. Queries are used to extract data for analysis. "Analyze program" written by Robert Holland summarizes queried data.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-119.58, 33.21], [-119.43, 33.21], [-119.43, 33.29], [-119.58, 33.29], [-119.58, 33.21]]]}
    Progress underDevelopment
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1981

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