A comparison of ringed and bearded seal diet, condition and productivity between historical (1975–1984) and recent (2003–2012) periods in the Alaskan Bering and Chukchi seas

Reductions in summer sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas are expected to affect what has been an ice-adapted marine food web in the Pacific Arctic. To determine whether recent decreases in sea ice have affected ice-associated marine predators (i.e., ringed, Pusa hispida, and bearded seals, Erignathus barbatus) in the Bering and Chukchi seas we compared diet, body condition, growth, productivity, and the proportion of pups harvested (an...