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Summary: USE OF HAUL-OUT SITES BY HARBOR SEALS (PHOCA VITULINA) IN
BELLINGHAM: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
JESSICA FARRER AND ALEJANDRO ACEVEDO-GUTIE´RREZ
Key words: abundance, Bellingham Bay,
development, disturbance, Harbor Seal, haul-
out, log pond, Phoca vitulina, seasonal variation
Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) have been
widely studied in the Pacific Northwest for
over 60 y (Scheffer and Slipp 1944; Calamboki-
dis and others 1979; Olesiuk and others 1990;
Jeffries and others 2003). In the inland waters of
Washington State, Harbor Seals are the most
abundant and extensively distributed pinniped,
numbering approximately 15,000 individuals
and thought to be nearing carrying capacity
(Jeffries and others 2003). As a result of this high
abundance, numerous types of interactions
between Harbor Seals and humans have re-
cently been documented, including increased
disturbance from a growing number of humans
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