New Diet
Due to climate change, extreme conditions become more common such as the 2016 Pacific marine heatwave. Such changes in temperature impact the ecosystem by decreasing the amount of anchovies and fish, and resulting in increases in squid and rockfish. For predators like sea lions, these prey types are not sufficient in meeting their needs especially when producing milk for their pups. This results in decreases in pup weight as well as their chances of survival.
Citations:
Maniscalco, J. M. (2023). Changes in the overwintering diet of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in relation to the 2014 – 2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave. Global Ecology and Conservation, 43, Article e02427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02427
McClatchie, S., Field, J., Thompson, A. R., Gerrodette, T., Lowry, M., Fiedler, P. C., Watson, W., Nieto, K. M., & Vetter, R. D. (2016). Correction to ‘Food limitation of sea lion pups and the decline of forage off central and southern California.’ Royal Society Open Science, 3(4), 160192. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160192
