Seals & Sea Lions - Pinnipeds

Our local waters with it's islets and diversity of underwater marine life make it a haven for both oceangoing and resident pinnipeds. We commonly we four species locally either on the rocks or fishing in the water.

Pacific Harbour Seal - Phoca vitulina

These are the smallest most common in the area and are year round residents. They are true seals. They lack external ears and are unable to rotate their back flippers forward like a sea lions. No they do not "arfff arfff" either, they make noises that resemble no other animal! Adults can reach 1.5 metres in length and weigh up to 110 kg. This species feeds on over 25 species of our local fish. Many of them hauled out onto rocks to thermoregulate near lower tides or feeding in the water at higher tides. Females gestate for 12 months giving birth on land (though able to swim immediately) to 1 pup a year. Weaning is about two weeks during which time the pup with double it's size. Research has proven that not only are they year round residents, they will stay near the islets they were birthed at.

Stellar (Eumetopias jubatus) & California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus)

The sea lions are here twice a year for two specific reasons: herring and salmon. During the spring near March several rafts of male Stellar's and California's come in from the north to colonize the same rocks and islets every year. They come to feed on the herring spawn and rockfish and socialize on the rocks. The Stellar's females are up north and California's females down south, pregnant and will be birthing during the summer months when their mates will join them. In the fall after the females have weaned their young and are pregnant again, the males do the same trek to the same islets to feed on the large salmon spawn in the local tributaries.

Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris

The largest of the pinnipeds we see in the area and the longest diving non-cetacean in the world, the longest dive recorded over 1500 metres for 20 minutes. Normally we see them either on the rocks heating their blubber or breathing on the surface after feeding in deep waters for skates, small sharks, octopus and eels. They are easily recognized by their large proboscis which looks like an elephants trunk.