2007/09/01 by Hans J. Skaug, Lennart Frimannslund, Nils Øien +1 · 2 citations
Environmental Science · #Avian ecology and behavior #Marine animal studies overview #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsm118
openalex publication_date 2007/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Abstract Skaug, H. J., Frimannslund, L., and Øien, N. I. 2007. Historical population assessment of Barents Sea harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 1356–1365: –. Harp seals are an important component of the Barents Sea ecosystem. Population size is estimated to have been around 6 million seals in 1875, when large-scale exploitation by Norwegian and Russian hunters started. The estimate is obtained by fitting a population dynamics model to all available sources of data on Barents Sea harp seals, but because of a lack of information about several key parameters in the model, the uncertainty associated with the estimate is large. A sensitivity study involving three different mechanisms for density-dependence results in a range estimate of 3–7 million seals in 1875.