Mapping critical Australian sea lion habitat with animal-borne instruments (NESP MaC 2.6)

This project aimed to identify and map critical habitats for Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) to assess the ecological value of different habitats, and identify risks to their populations. Video imagery, GPS, time-depth and accelerometer/magnetometer data was captured from eight adult female Australian sea lions from Olive Island (n=4) on the western Eyre Peninsula and Seal Bay (n=4) on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Sea lions were instrumented with animal-borne cameras with integrated accelerometers/magnetometers (CATS Cam, 135 x 96 x 40 mm, 400 g) and satellite-linked GPS loggers with integrated time-depth recorders (SPLASH-10, Wildlife Computers, 100 x 65 x 32 mm, 200 g). Sea lions were sedated and anaesthetised and bio-logging instruments were glued to the pelage on the dorsal midline. Bio-logging instruments were recovered after a single foraging trip (~1-6 days). The data collected in this project provides fundamental information on critical benthic habitats for Australian sea lions, the differences in foraging behaviour of individual sea lions, and their prey preferences. This information improves our understanding of threats to sea lion populations and will support future conservation actions to recover the species.