The first case of Northern Fur Seals satellite tagging on Tyuleniy Island

To study winter migrations of Northern Fur Seals (NFS) from major population located on Tyuleniy Island (the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia) satellite tags were deployed on three NFS during the on-shore reproductive period of a species in October, 2018. The tagging was successful with operational time varying from 33 to 203 days. The wintering of two tagged NFS females occurred within Japan/East Sea and their ways towards foraging grounds were short and straightforward. Unlike adult females, the juvenile NFS male crossed the Sea of Okhotsk up to its north-western coast, and then returned to its southern area, reaching the coast of Hokkaido. From there NFS male entered the Pacific Ocean, and finally went into the Japan/East Sea. After three months of winter foraging in the western Japan/East Sea the male returned to the Pacific (off the Sanriku Coast of Japan), thus confirming the NSF route via Tsugaru Strait.

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