Dataset Description
The data in this dataset represents raw stomach content data for harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) collected in the waters around Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) for 2017-2021.
Seal stomachs and jaws (for ageing) were collected in NL waters by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) personnel or by experienced seal hunters under licenses issued by DFO (see Sjare and Stenson 2010, for a description of the collection program). The age of each seal sampled was determined to the nearest year by sectioning a lower canine tooth and counting dentine annuli (Fisher 1954, Bowen et al. 1983, Frie et al. 2011).
Seal stomach contents were examined for whole prey and prey hard parts following the methods outlined in Murie and Lavigne (1985). Prey species were identified by comparing whole specimens or recovered hard parts to reference materials collected from NL waters and/or using published identification keys (Härkönen 1986, Scott and Scott 1988, Squires 1990, ICES 1997, Nozères and Bérubé 2003, Campana 2004, Frandsen and Zumholz 2004, Camphuysen and Henderson, 2017).
This data is referenced spatially using DFO statistical unit areas:
https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f46313a7-f1b5-4dc7-aa3e-1f009a35b345
DFO Unit Areas, Atlantic Canada
Cite this data as:
Lang, S.L.C. and Stenson, G.B. 2026. Stomach content data for harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) collected in the waters around Newfoundland and Labrador (NL): 2017-2021.
Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Last modified: 2026-05-21T12:12:33.716489