Harbour Seal Haul-Out: Understanding Tidal Patterns and Foraging Behavior

What is a Haul-Out?

A haul-out refers to the behavior of marine mammals coming ashore, typically for resting or socializing. For harbour seals, these haul-outs are crucial for conserving energy and avoiding predators.

The split-level view in the simulation provides insight into how tidal patterns influence where and when seals choose to haul out.

Tidal Cycles and Seals

Tides play a critical role in the daily lives of harbour seals, affecting their access to food and safe resting spots.

Seals are adapted to exploit tidal cycles for both foraging and resting, balancing energy expenditure with survival needs.

Foraging Strategies

Harbour seals use aerobic dive limits to maximize the duration of their dives while conserving oxygen. This strategy is essential for efficient feeding in aquatic environments.

The simulation highlights how these diving patterns are influenced by the location and density of fish hotspots, which are critical for the seals' diet.

Impact of Human Activities

Human activities such as boat noise can disrupt seal behavior, causing them to leave haul-out sites. This not only affects their resting but also impacts their feeding efficiency.

Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing conservation strategies that protect harbour seals and their habitats.

Frequently asked questions

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open Harbour Seal Haul-Out: Tide, Dive and Fish Hotspot Lab and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.