The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris, NES) is a well-studied marine mammal known for engaging in long foraging migrations at sea. Adult male NES follow pathways along the coast towards Alaska and adult female NES follow pathways to open ocean. However, there is little to no information about newly weaned NES pup foraging behavior. This lack of knowledge is significant because NES have a mortality rate of >50% in the first year. This project aims to better understand the migratory pathways of NES during this critical life stage. We deployed satellite tags on newly weaned NES pups at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB, est. 2016, n=10) and San Nicolas Island (SNI, est. 1949, n=5). We hypothesized that weaned NES pups would [1] prioritize near-site foraging areas and thus migrate shorter distances compared to adults, [2] exhibit no sexual divergence in their pathways, and [3] have pathways that differ between the two breeding sites. Examining these migratory pathways and comparing them between rookeries and years provides insight into important foraging grounds for this life stage, differences between breeding sites, and environmental influences on migration, which will inform the conservation and management of this species.

Katie Saenger is a master's student in Dr. Heather Liwanag’s Vertebrate Integrative Physiology Lab at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where she is studying at-sea movement behavior of northern elephant seal (NES) weaned pups. Katie received her undergraduate degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in Marine Sciences, where she studied topics ranging from rockfish growth rates to NES breeding behavior. In addition to her master's work, Katie works as a biologist for SWCA Environmental Consultants and as a field lead for her lab's long-term NES population monitoring program.