Spatial distribution of foraging in female Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella in relation to oceanographic variables: a scale-dependent approach using geographic information systems

Abstract

Macquarie Island has been estimated at 15 million tonnes yr -1 Marine resources are distributed heterogeneously in space and time and are generally related to spatial heterogeneity in physical, chemical and bathymetric features of the marine environment. Studies of the ecology of top predators at sea indicate that their distribution, abundance, and behaviour are related to oceanographic features and primary productivity, as found in seabirds (Pakhomov & Mc-