Coastal Resource Information System

Steller Sea Lion/Northern Sea Lion

The Steller Sea Lion (or Northern Sea Lion) occurs throughout Coastal British Columbia. It congregates on bare rocks exposed to the open coast during the pupping and mating season of June-July. During the remainder of the year, Steller sea lions disperse widely along exposed and protected shores. Steller sea lions congregate at four types of sites:

• Rookeries: Exposed, remote islands where calving and breeding take place.
• Year-round haul-outs: Areas exposed to oceanic swells, close to large land masses. Animal abundance does not fluctuate much throughout the year.
• Winter haul-outs: Exposed locations and sheltered inlets and bays. Used mainly, but not exclusively, in winter.
• Winter rafting sites: These sites exist where there are no suitable haul-outs. Rafting locations are usually found close to shore in sheltered inlets and channels. The location of rafting sites is dynamic - likely due to changes in the distribution of prey. Rafting behaviour occurs mainly in winter, but also in fall and spring.

Commercial harvesting of Steller sea lions from 1913-68 severely reduced the number of Steller sea lions in coastal BC. Numbers are now likely increasing (Bigg, 1985; G. Ellis, pers. Comm).

See also California Sea Lion

Steller Sea Lions are the largest member of the Otariid (eared seal) family. Their range extends around the North Pacific rim from the Kuril Islands and Okhotsk Sea through the Aleutian Islands and southern Bearing Sea, along the southern coast of Alaska and south towards California. They spend a lot of time on rocky shores. They eat fish, including blackfish, rockfish, greenling, salmon, and squid, clams and crabs. They feed at night in water within 16-24 km of shore.