Satellite tracking of female southern elephant seals of Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands (2009-2011)

The dataseries includes 24 satellite tags (SPOT-5, Argos position only, no dive data) deployed on post-breeding female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) at Sea Lion Island (Falkland Islands), to track the seals' movements at sea. This is the first study of the aquatic phase of elephant seal life cycle that has been carried out in the Falklands. Elephant seals are an important component of the Falklands biodiversity, may represent a conduit for gene flow among the main populations of the South Georgia stock, and are an important resource for wildlife-oriented tourism in the islands. Contrary to expectations, we found that most females forage rather close to their breeding site and the Falklands coastline, in concentrated areas, and over rather shallow water. Just few of them show the very long loops that are rather typical of female foraging in other populations (e.g., South Georgia and the Valdes Peninsula). These findings have clear practical and management implications, including a greater responsibility of Falklands authorities and a greater expsosure to human disturbance and threats. There is an urgent needing to carry out a study of the movements at sea during the post-moulting phase. Further information is available on the research group website, www.eleseal.org.