Planning for a pinniped response during a marine oil spill

Abstract

Understanding the distribution and abundance of wildlife populations is key to successful oil spill response planning. Fur seals are difficult to rehabilitate if oiled, and many common spill response techniques may be limited in the high-energy rocky shore habitats they prefer. Preventing oil from reaching colonies, and hazing or deterring animals away from oil are high-priority response options for pinnipeds during spills. To do this, local knowledge of pinniped distribution and abundance is required, as well as knowledge of effective and safe hazing and deterrence mechanisms. From pup production assessments, we estimated that a population of 13,147–17,675 New Zealand fur seal (NZFS: Arctocephalus forsteri) currently inhabits Banks Peninsula. This area contains the largest port on New Zealand’s South Island and a secondary port that is popular with cruise ships, elevating its oil spill risk profile. From the knowledge gained regarding NZFS distribution and abundance, we evaluated mitigation methods which could protect fur seals during oil spills, wherever these species occur, and make suggestions to managers on how to mount an effective pinniped response.