Abstract

Between January 1, 1975 to December 31, 1997, 114 northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) stranded live along the central California coast and were transported to a rehabilitation center. Of these 114 animals, 79 died during rehabilitation. There were 92 pups (<1 year), 6 juveniles (1-4 years) and 17 adults (>4 years) admitted. The majority of these animals stranded during the months of September to December (n=95). Most of the animals stranded in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties (n=90). The average number of animals admitted per year was less than 5. The peak years for strandings were during El Nino events in 1992 (n=22) and 1997 (n=31). The major cause of stranding for the pups was emaciation and malnutrition. Infectious diseases and parasitism were rare. Several pups were anemic on admittance, with decreased hematocrit and hemoglobin values. The average weight for the pups, which were at least 2 months old, was 5.45 kg and the average length was 68.2 cm. Northern fur seal pups are born on average at 60 cm and between 4.5-5.4 kg.