Satellite telemetry data related to seasonal movements of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island, 1994 – 1998

The initial objective of this dataset was to study the seasonal movement patterns of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island. This study was part of a larger program that studied the foraging behavior of the species.

Ten harbour seals were captured using gillnets from 1994 to 1998 at three sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary (Bic, n=1 individual; île Blanche, n=1; Métis-sur-Mer, n=5) and one site on Sable Island (n=3 individuals). The individuals were equipped with a satellite-linked time-depth recorder (Type3.10, Wildlife Computers) equipped with an Argos tag and placed on the back of the neck. For most individuals, satellite tracking began in September and continued until the following spring.

The dataset consists of series of geographic locations of ten harbor seals with associated dates and times and movement speeds calculated from successive locations.

The location data were only filtered based on the validity class provided by Argos. Class Z locations were excluded.