Using Satellite Tracking and Isotopic Information to Characterize the Impact of South American Sea Lions on Salmonid Aquaculture in Southern Chile

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 26;10(8):e0134926. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134926. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Apex marine predators alter their foraging behavior in response to spatial and/or seasonal changes in natural prey distribution and abundance. However, few studies have identified the impacts of aquaculture that represents a spatially and temporally predictable and abundant resource on their foraging behavior. Using satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis we examined the degree of spatial overlap between the South American sea lion (SASL) and salmon farms, and quantify the amount of native prey versus farmed salmonids in SASL diets. We instrumented eight SASL individuals with SRDL-GPS tags. Vibrissae, hair and skin samples were collected for δ13C and δ15N analyses from five of the tagged individuals and from four males captured in a haul-out located adjacent to salmon farms. Tracking results showed that almost all the foraging areas of SASL are within close proximity to salmon farms. The most important prey for the individuals analyzed was farmed salmonids, with an estimated median (±SD) contribution of 19.7 ± 13.5‰ and 15.3 ± 9.6‰ for hair and skin, respectively. Using vibrissae as a temporal record of diet for each individual, we observed a remarkable switch in diet composition in two SASL, from farmed salmonids to pelagic fishes, which coincided with the decrease of salmon production due to the infectious salmon anemia virus that affected salmon farms in Chile at the end of 2008. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of integrating stable isotope derived dietary data with movement patterns to characterize the impacts of a non-native prey on the foraging ecology of an apex marine predator, providing important applied implications in situations where interactions between aquaculture and wildlife are common.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aquaculture*
  • Carbon Isotopes / analysis
  • Chile
  • Diet
  • Ecosystem
  • Female
  • Male
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis
  • Organ Specificity
  • Predatory Behavior
  • Salmon / growth & development*
  • Sea Lions / growth & development*
  • Spacecraft*
  • Spatial Analysis

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Isotopes

Grants and funding

This study was supported by funding from Fondecyt Grant number 11110081 to MS, INNOVA-CORFO Grant number 07CN13IPM-170 to MS and DO and Office of Naval Research Grant number N00014-08-1-1195 to DPC.