Elephant seals are important research subjects for diving physiology and migration science. Balancing research value against welfare costs requires careful ethical frameworks.
Elephant seal research welfare involves acute capture stress and longer-term device burden. Capture and sedation events cause physiological stress and, in rare cases, complications. The size and drag of attached devices affects dive performance and energy costs during the critical foraging season. Research ethics frameworks require that device size be minimized relative to body mass, that attachment locations minimize behavioral impact, and that recapture for device removal respects individual welfare. The conservation and climate science value of elephant seal biologger data is substantial — understanding their role as sentinels for ocean change informs policies that ultimately benefit billions of marine animals. Welfare and science are best served by transparent reporting of welfare outcomes.