Ecological Interactions -Consumption of economically important or endangered fishes and squid -Competition for marine and terrestrial resources -Predation by sharks and killer whales -Exposure to Harmful Algal Blooms -Enrichment of marine and terrestrial habitat Human Interactions -Aesthetic utilization -Fishery interactions with humans -Nuisance interactions -Entanglement in marine debris -Coastal development -Contaminants Environmental Pressures -Basin-scale Climate Change -Regional and local changes in currents and transport -Shifts in sea surface temperature, upwelling, stratification, productivity patterns -Sea level rise Year-round Residents -Adult females and juveniles reflect changes in southern and central CCS -Adult males reflect changes in central and northern CCS California sea lions as Indicators in CCIEA Jeff Laake, AFSC/NMML California sea lion Population ~300,000

Canada Washington Oregon California Mexico California Sea Lion Breeding and Migratory Range Monterey Bay Sep to May Year round

Life History Information Permanent residents of California Current ecosystem Population increased 5% annually since protected by MMPA in 1972, currently highest population level ever recorded and may be approaching K Diet of mostly economically important species including sardine, anchovy, hake, market squid, herring Survival, natality, and condition integrate changes in productivity of California Current

Functional Ecosystem Relationships If California sea lion population or condition of animals declines may indicate: That California Current ecosystem not as healthy A decline in prey availability in California Current ecosystem A Redistribution of energy within or between trophic levels in California Current (i.e., decreases in energy available to sea lions in their prey assemblage)

California Sea Lion Data Available for IEA Historical time series of data that includes periods of large and small ecosystem changes: 40 years of population assessment including live pup counts, pup mortality, pup condition, disease screening, contaminants monitoring 30 years of diet and food habits 20 years of demographic data on survival and natality and foraging distribution and behavior Temporal and spatial data overlap with 65 years of comprehensive oceanographic surveys conducted in the California Current (CalCOFI) and remotely sensed data

Current California Sea Lion Indices in State of California Current Report and CCIEA Projects Annual counts of live and dead pups provide trends in births and mortality and used in stock assessments Annual weighing of pups at 3 months and 7 months of age provides trends in condition and growth Model of diet and pup condition

Pup births, mortality, and condition

Annual Live Pup Counts, El Niño

Pup Mortality: birth to 5-weeks-old Relaxation event

Pup Condition and Growth

Adult Female Diet and Pup Condition

Summary As top predators, sea lions are an important functional component of CCS Utilize entire coastal current system and changes in their biology reflect changes in regional or basin-scale changes in CCS Easy to measure aspects of their biology that are sensitive to changes in the environment 40+ year dataset provides reference for understanding past, present and future change in CCS