Foraging behaviour of juvenile

Juveniles have limited foraging ability compared to adults, due to physiological, morphological and behavioural constraints that ultimately affect their fitness and survival. Therefore, constraints on juvenile foraging ability may have implications for population dynamics. The objective of this thesis was to study the foraging behaviour of juvenile New Zealand (NZ) sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) at the subantarctic Auckland Islands (AI). The endemic NZ sea lion is one of the rarest pinnipeds in the world and is mainly found in AI. This species has declined since 1998, with bycatch and resource competition with the arrow squid (Nototodarus sloani) trawl fisheries hypothesized to be the main causes for the decline. Understanding how juveniles are constrained in foraging ability may help us predict the degree to which they are further compromised by anthropogenic impacts that change prey availability. I investigated intrinsic (e.g. mass, age and sex) and extrinsic (e.g. habitat characteristics) factors influencing the foraging behaviour of juvenile NZ sea lions from 2007-2010 at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island, AI. Platform transmitting terminals (PTTs) and time-depth recorder