Download AEBR 204 – Survey of New Zealand sea lion prey at the Auckland Islands and Stewart Snares Shelf

The main breeding population of New Zealand (NZ) sea lions (Otariidae: Phocarctos hookeri) at the Auckland Islands has declined by about 50% since the late-1990s. This population displays numerous indicators of nutritional stress, but the precise mechanisms of this stress (e.g., essential prey species and changes in their availability to NZ sea lions) remain poorly understood. This precludes a meaningful assessment of the effects of environmental change or indirect fishery effects on NZ sea lion populations.