Reproductive success of pinniped populations is investigated in the two resident species of fur seals and sea lions inhabiting the Punta San Juan reserve: South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) and sea lions (Otaria flavescens).
This research attempts to quantify the differences in the inter-annual and long-term number of offspring produced by each of the species of pinnipeds that inhabit the reserve.
Understanding the annual production (number of offspring) of each species of pinnipeds as well as the seasonality of their breeding. This is important because it serves as an indicator of the welfare of the population, which is directly related to the environmental conditions for that year.
These data are collected intensively during the breeding season of each species of pinnipeds. For fur seals, data is collected every year between the months of October and December while data for sea lions was collected between January and March of each year. This is done through direct observation and counting the number of offspring in beaches used for reproductive purposes by the species on a daily basis.