R1.1 - Short Description of Comment

[jmlondon]

The authors provide a throughout treatment of a rich dataset acquired across numerous studies and united here into a single modeling effort to improve the ice seal abundance estimation. This is valuable work and merits publication.

The authors have put substantial efforts into setting the context for their analysis, citing relevant studies. I would like to see a more direct approach in the framing of their problem: the improvements of abundance estimates required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act. I would like to see a specific example of how the modeled availability would have affect population abundance estimates by apply the availability model to aerial survey data and providing an adjusted abundance estimate.

Checklist

• [x] Addressed in paper
• [x] Addressed in reply letter

[jmlondon]

We address this in the manuscript by introducing the importance of the statutory requirements of the MMPA and ESA early in the second paragraph of the introduction. We hope this frames the important link in the mind of the reader between the work described here and the need for improved abundance estimates.

Regarding the desire for specific examples of how the modeled availability would have impacted population abundance estimates from aerial survey data, we don't have the ability to provide such an example because the aerial survey data are not yet published and available. Such an example and discussion might be better suited for subsequent papers that focus on presentation of the aerial survey data and the abundance estimation process.