Steller sea lions range along the North Pacific Rim from northern Japan to California. Pupping and breeding occur late May to early July throughout their range. Males set up territories on rookeries in late May, females arrive shortly thereafter and give birth to a single pup. They alternate between nursing their pup and feeding trips; most pups are weaned by the end of their first year. The species is not known to migrate, but individuals disperse widely outside of the breeding season, particularly adult males and juveniles. Adult males are up to 3.25 m long and weigh up to 1120 kg; females are considerably smaller at up to 2.9 m and 350 kg. Pups weigh about 23 kg at birth. Two separate stocks of Steller sea lions are recognized within U. S. waters: an eastern and western stock. As a result of a precipitous decline in numbers beginning in the 1970s, the western stock is presently listed as Endangered under the ESA.
- Biology
- Distribution
- Population Decline
- Steller sea lion research coordination, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Aerial Survey of Steller Sea Lions in Alaska, June-July 2009 and Update on the Status of the Western Stock in Alaska
- 2008 Aerial Survey Results - western Steller sea lions in Alaska
- Steller sea lion databases
- Employing Technology for Conservation
- Telemetry Research
- Current Research Projects by the Alaska Ecosystems Program
- Current Research Projects by the California Current Ecosystems Program
- Publications: search AFSC database for Steller Sea Lions
- Posters: search AFSC database for Steller Sea Lions
- Quarterly Reports
- BURDIN, A. M., D. R. HENNEN, D. G. CALKINS, V. N. BURKANOV, V. S. NIKULIN, and T. Yu. LISITSINA.
2009. Can we see a cohort effect on survival of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) at Kozlova Cape rookery (eastern Kamchatka, Russia)? Mar. Mammal Sci. 25(4):888-901.
- REA, L. D., M. BERMAN-KOWALEWSKI, D. A. S. ROSEN, and A. W. TRITES.
2009. Seasonal differences in biochemical adaptation to fasting in juvenile and subadult steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Physiol. Biochem. Zool. 82:236-247.
- PERMYAKOV, P. A., and V. N. BURKANOV.
2009. Interactions between killer whales (Orcinus orca) and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the vicinity of Brat Chirpoev Island, Kuril Islands. Russian J. Mar. Biol. 35:255-258.
- WINTER, A., R. J. FOY, and K. WYNNE.
2009. Seasonal differences in prey availability around a Steller sea lion haulout and rookery in the Gulf of Alaska. Aquat. Mammals 35:145-162.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Steller Sea Lion publications
- Using Cooperative Acoustic Surveys to Manage Small-Scale Fisheries: Relationships between Distribution of Steller Sea Lions, Diet Composition, Prey
3.93MB Online.
- Closing the Loop on Research Impact Monitoring: Potential Research Mortality Risk to Steller Sea Lion Populations in Alaska Greatly Overestimated Actual Exposure
3.91MB Online.
- Population Trends of Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) with Respect to Measures of Chlorophyll-a in Critical Habitat
770KB Online.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Steller Sea Lion posters

