Cetacean Stocks Subject to Aboriginal Subsistence Harvest

Steller's sea lions

The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) population in Alaska has declined in abundance by approximately 70% since the mid-1970’s. While numerous hypotheses exist regarding the decline of the Steller sea lions, there is insufficient evidence to rule out any of these satisfactorily. Indeed, it is likely that the cause of the decline has changed. Research being carried out by members of our group as regards Steller sea lions involve developing a flexible spatially explicit population modeling framework, and developing multispecies models that incorporate energetic interactions between sea lions,