Maps: Ribbon Seal: Important Habitat Areas
NOTES:
The shape for Total Subsistence Use Area is partly made up of Cenaliulriit CRSA data that represents all marine mammals collectively.
Biology
Central Yup’ik: Qasruliq
St. Lawrence Island Yupik: Kukupak
Inupiaq: Qaigullik
Scientific: Phoca fasciata
Nobody hardly hunts the ribbon seal. Everybody gets warm clothing from Cabella’s. Their skins are for decorations.24 Elders and Active Hunters (after group discussion)—Elim
Ribbon seals are the least abundant of the ice seals that inhabit Alaskan waters.25 In winter and spring ribbon seals have a strong association with sea ice where they give birth, nurse pups and molt, mostly occupying the inner zone of the ice front. The summer months are spent in the ice free waters of the Bering Sea.26,27
Little is known about the feeding habits of ribbon seals. Almost all dietary information has been gathered during the spring; winter feeding patterns remain largely unknown. Ribbon seals are thought to eat mostly fish, while also consuming invertebrates such as crustaceans, cephalopods and bivalves.28
Other Important Seal Habitats:
Bearded Seal
Ribbon Seal
Ringed Seal
Spotted Seal
