Publications

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analysis of organochlorines in harbor seal (phoca vitulina) tissue samples from alaska using gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry by an isotopic dilution technique.a gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry (gc/itms) method was developed for the determination of organochlorine pesticides (ocps), polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (pcns) in harbor seal (phoca vitulina) tissues. tissue samples were homogenized, lyophilized and fortified with (13)c-pcbs 28, 123, 169 and 170, and then extracted with an accelerated solvent extractor with a mixture of hexane and methylene chloride (1:1, v/v). after lipid removal using a 40% h( ...200515945031
infectious disease and toxicological monitoring of stranded pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsi) in cook inlet as surrogates for monitoring endangered belugas (delphinapterus leucas).pacific harbor seals ( phoca vitulina richardsi) and belugas ( delphinapterus leucas ) eat many of the same prey species, occupy the same geographic area, and demonstrate site fidelity in cook inlet, alaska. although most direct research involving the critically endangered belugas is currently prohibited, studying harbor seals may provide important information about this beluga population. in recent years, harbor seal populations in alaska have declined for unknown reasons. as part of its strand ...201627691941
twenty years of trace metal analyses of marine mammals in alaska: evaluation and summation.the compilation of existing data on contaminants in the marine food chain is essential in addressing concerns regarding the magnitude of potential human exposures and in the evaluation of subsistence food safety. this paper presents a summary of studies on trace metals in tissues of alaska marine mammals from the 1970s to the present, along with derived mean tissue trace metal concentrations. the derived mean can serve as a norm against which future monitoring results may be compared, and may be ...199810093345
vanadium accumulation in pinnipeds.vanadium in four species of pinnipeds (northern fur seals [callorhinus ursinus], steller sea lions [eumetopias jubatus], harbor seals [phoca vitulina], and ribbon seals [phoca fasciata]) caught in the northern pacific was analyzed using icp-ms to understand its accumulation and distribution. in northern fur seals, relatively high concentrations of vanadium were observed in the liver, hair, and bone. ninety percent of the vanadium burden in the body was concentrated in these three tissues, which ...19999828265
structure and amount of genetic variation at minisatellite loci within the subspecies complex of phoca vitulina (the harbour seal).the structure and amount of genetic variation within and between three subspecies of the harbour seal phoca vitulina was assessed by multilocus dna fingerprinting. bandsharing similarity indicates that the subspecies phoca vitulina richardsi (alaska, east pacific) is clearly separated from the other two subspecies, phoca vitulina concolor (sable island, west atlantic) and phoca vitulina vitulina (north sea, east atlantic). the subspecies also differ significantly in the estimated amount of heter ...19979172395
plasma haptoglobin levels in threatened alaskan pinniped populations.we evaluated the plasma concentration of the acute phase protein haptoglobin (hp) from steller sea lions (eumetopias jubatus) and harbor seals (phoca vitulina) in regions of alaska (usa) where the populations of these pinnipeds were declining and compared the values with concentrations of hp from the same species in areas where the populations were stable. samples were collected from 1992 through 1994 at sites in southeast alaska, prince william sound, the gulf of alaska, and the aleutian island ...19979027692
acanthocephalans in northern fur seals (callorhinus ursinus) and a harbor seal (phoca vitulina) on st. paul island, alaska: species, prevalence, and biodiversity in four fur seal subpopulations.monitoring studies of acanthocephalans in northern fur seals (callorhinus ursinus linnaeus, 1758) (nfss) and a harbor seal (phoca vitulina linnaeus, 1758) were performed on st. paul island, alaska, in july-august 2011. gastrointestinal tracts of 105 humanely harvested nfs subadult males (sams) (3-4 years old) were collected during the annual aleut subsistence harvest at four haul-out areas (hoas): lukanin (n = 26 nfss), polovina (n = 28), gorbatch (n = 30), and morzhovyi (n = 21). one gastrointe ...201222584377
Serologic surveillance of pathogens in a declining harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) population in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, USA and a reference site.The harbor seal population in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, has declined by over 70% since 1992. The reasons for this decline are not known. We examined serum antibodies and feces for evidence of exposure to multiple pathogens in this population. We also studied harbor seals from a reference site on Kodiak Island. In 2007, we found antibodies against Leptospira spp. in 31% of specimens from harbor seals in Glacier Bay, but no detectable serum antibodies in samples from Kodiak. In 2008, no s ...201122102671
quantification of total mercury in liver and heart tissue of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) from alaska usa.this study quantified the hg levels in the liver (n=98) and heart (n=43) tissues of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) (n=102) harvested from prince william sound and kodiak island alaska. mercury tissue dry weight (dw) concentrations in the liver ranged from 1.7 to 393 ppm dw, and in the heart from 0.19 to 4.99 ppm dw. results of this study indicate liver and heart tissues' hg ppm dw concentrations significantly increase with age. male harbor seals bioaccumulated hg in both their liver and heart tis ...201121867998
phocine distemper virus in northern sea otters in the pacific ocean, alaska, usa.phocine distemper virus (pdv) has caused 2 epidemics in harbor seals in the atlantic ocean but had never been identified in any pacific ocean species. we found that northern sea otters in alaska are infected with pdv, which has created a disease threat to several sympatric and decreasing pacific marine mammals.200919523293
polychlorinated naphthalenes and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls in tissues of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) from the northern gulf of alaska.blubber, liver and kidney samples of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) from the northern gulf of alaska were collected during 2000-2001 for the analysis of polychlorinated naphthalenes (pcns) and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (coplpcbs). on the lipid weight (lw) base, the total concentrations of pcns (sigma pcns) ranged from 0.3 to 27 ng/g lw, and the total concentrations of coplpcbs (sigma coplpcbs) were 3.6-546 ng/g lw in all the tissue samples. di-ortho pcbs and mono-ortho pcbs were dominant ...200717223166
serologic survey for brucella spp., phocid herpesvirus-1, phocid herpesvirus-2, and phocine distemper virus in harbor seals from alaska, 1976-1999.harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsi) were captured in the coastal regions of southeast alaska, gulf of alaska, prince william sound (pws), and kodiak island during 1976-1999. blood was collected from 286 seals. sera were tested for evidence of exposure to brucella spp., phocid herpesvirus-1 (phohv-1), phocid herpesvirus-2 (phhv-2), and phocine distemper virus (pdv). antibody prevalence rates were 46% (46/100) for brucella spp., 93% (225/243) for phohv-1, 0% (0/286) for phhv-2, and 1% (2/160) ...200616870851
toxic elements and organochlorines in harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsi), kodiak, alaska, usa. 19921504518
organochlorines in harbor seal (phoca vitulina) tissues from the northern gulf of alaska.polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ddt) and its metabolites, heptachlor and hexachlorocyclohexanes (hchs) were analyzed in the harbor seal (phoca vitulina) tissues collected from the gulf of alaska during 2000-2001. summation sigmapcbs (16-728 ng/gl w) and summation sigmaddts (14-368 ng/gl w) were the predominant pollutants followed by summation operatorhchs (0.56-93 ng/gl w) and heptachlor (<or=0.068-6.0 ng/gl w). concentrations of the above organochlorines (ocs) ...200716938369
discretized and aggregated: modeling dive depth of harbor seals from ordered categorical data with temporal autocorrelation.ordered categorical data are pervasive in environmental and ecological data, and often arise from constraints that require discretizing a continuous variable into ordered categories. a great deal of data have been collected toward the study of marine mammal dive behavior using satellite depth recorders (sdrs), which often discretize a continuous variable such as depth. additionally, data storage or transmission constraints may also necessitate the aggregation of data over time intervals of a spe ...201222118495
organic halogenated contaminants in mother-fetus pairs of harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardii) from alaska, 2000-2002.this study measured organochlorine pesticides (ocps) including hexachlorocyclohexanes (hchs), hexachlorobenzene (hcb), heptachlor and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (ddts), polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (pcns) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes) in tissues of six mother-fetus pairs of harbor seals that were hunted for subsistence in alaska waters of the northern pacific ocean. these data suggest that significant amounts of these contaminants were transfe ...201222579763
post-breeding season migrations of a top predator, the harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardii), from a marine protected area in alaska.marine protected areas (mpas) are increasingly being used as a conservation tool for highly mobile marine vertebrates and the focus is typically on protecting breeding areas where individuals are aggregated seasonally. yet movements during the non-breeding season can overlap with threats that may be equally as important to population dynamics. thus understanding habitat use and movements of species during the non-breeding periods is critical for conservation. glacier bay national park, alaska, i ...201323457468
factors affecting haul-out behavior of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) in tidewater glacier inlets in alaska: can tourism vessels and seals coexist?large numbers of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) use habitat in tidewater glaciers in alaska for pupping, breeding, and molting. glacial fjords are also popular tourist destinations; however, visitation by numerous vessels can result in disturbance of seals during critical life-history phases. we explored factors affecting haul-out behavior of harbor seals at a glacial site frequented by tourism vessels. in 2008-10, we deployed vhf transmitters on 107 seals in endicott arm, alaska. we remotely mon ...201526017404
spatially estimating disturbance of harbor seals (phoca vitulina).tidewater glacial fjords in alaska provide habitat for some of the largest aggregations of harbor seals (phoca vitulina), with calved ice serving as platforms for birthing and nursing pups, molting, and resting. these fjords have also been popular destinations for tour ships for more than a century, with dramatic increases in vessel traffic since the 1980s. seals on ice are known to flush into the water when approached by tour ships, but estimating the exposure to disturbance across populations ...201526132083
quantification and analysis of icebergs in a tidewater glacier fjord using an object-based approach.tidewater glaciers are glaciers that terminate in, and calve icebergs into, the ocean. in addition to the influence that tidewater glaciers have on physical and chemical oceanography, floating icebergs serve as habitat for marine animals such as harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardii). the availability and spatial distribution of glacier ice in the fjords is likely a key environmental variable that influences the abundance and distribution of selected marine mammals; however, the amount of ice a ...201627828967
source levels and call parameters of harbor seal breeding vocalizations near a terrestrial haulout site in glacier bay national park and preserve.source levels of harbor seal breeding vocalizations were estimated using a three-element planar hydrophone array near the beardslee islands in glacier bay national park and preserve, alaska. the average source level for these calls was 144 dbrms re 1 μpa at 1 m in the 40-500 hz frequency band. source level estimates ranged from 129 to 149 dbrms re 1 μpa. four call parameters, including minimum frequency, peak frequency, total duration, and pulse duration, were also measured. these measurements i ...201728372144
blood concentrations of some persistent organohalogens in free-ranging spotted seals (phoca largha) from bristol bay, alaska.in recent years, the relatively high levels of organochlorine contaminants and increasing levels of brominated flame retardants found in tissues of marine mammals have raised concerns that exposure to these marine pollutants may compromise individual health. in this pilot study, levels of 11 polychlorinated biphenyls, 3 polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and the ddt metabolite p,p'-diphenyldichloroethylene were analyzed in whole blood of 7 free-ranging spotted seals (phoca largha) from bristol bay, ...200717885935
organochlorine contaminants in blubber of four seal species: integrating biomonitoring and specimen banking.blubber samples from four alaska seal species (bearded seal, erignathus barbatus, harbor seal, phoca vitulina, northern fur seal, callorhinus ursinus, ringed seal, p. hispida) were collected for inclusion in the us national biomonitoring specimen bank, as well as for immediate analysis as part of the contaminant monitoring component of the us national marine fisheries service's marine mammal health and stranding response program. the blubber samples were analyzed for organochlorine (oc) contamin ...19979159908
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