Northern Elephant Seal Monitoring (Mirounga angustirostris) at Point Reyes National Seashore 2008-2009 Breeding Seasons

Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) established a breeding population at Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE) in 1981 and since then the colony has grown steadily (Allen et al. 1989). Currently, elephant seals breed at numerous sites within PORE, with four primary sites located at Drake's Beach (DB), Point Reyes Headland (PRH), South Beach (SB), and Chimney Rock Loop (CRL). PORE began to monitor the elephant seal population to contribute to the understanding of population changes and management needs, and to develop research, interpretation and enforcement strategies. A pinniped monitoring protocol was developed in 2009 and includes objectives for monitoring elephant seals to determine trends population growth and productivity.