How far can a young seal swim? Scientists aim to find out

Twelve young harp seals won't be doing anything in secret off our coast for next year or so.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has placed satellite tags on a group of "beaters" — named for the way young harp seals swim, by beating the water with their flippers — they found near Cape Ray.

Research scientists want to find out when beaters start to dive, how deep they go and how far they swim off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Garry Stenson, head of DFO's marine mammal section in Newfoundland and Labrador, says there's little known about the movements of young seals.

"It also helps fill in our gaps as to what happens to the younger seals, to fit that in with what we know about the older ones," explained Stenson.

Scientists already know that adult seals spend their winters in the waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and in the waters around Newfoundland. In the spring and summer, they migrate north to the Canadian Arctic.

Data on water temperature collected

Stenson says the seals move quickly during their migration and frequently dive to great depths.

"Quite amazingly … harp seals are quite good divers. Even though they're what we would consider to be a medium-sized seal they're capable of going down over 700 metres," explained Stenson.

The tags will offer more than just knowledge about young seal movement, they'll also collect data on water temperature, which can then feed into oceanographic models.

"It helps the oceanographers get a better understanding of the environment and how it's changed over time and how things like climate change could be affecting the waters that we have around us," said Stenson.

Stenson says the satellite tags will work continuously for the next 13-14 months and don't dramatically impede the seals' movement of the seals.

"It could cost them a little bit of energy but it's relatively minor. The amount of information that we and our understanding not only of the animals but of their environment … is invaluable compared to the small costs that the animals have for carrying them."

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