2014
DOI: 10.14430/arctic4423
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An Emerging Pattern of Declining Growth Rates in Belugas of the Beaufort Sea: 1989–2008

Abstract: ABSTRACT. Standardized, hunter-based sampling of harvested beluga whales was initiated in the three main harvesting areas of the Mackenzie River delta (Shallow Bay, Kendall Island, Kugmallit Bay) in 1980 and near Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, in 1989. Standard length and sex of landed whales have been recorded for 90 to 110 belugas per year since 1980, and ages have been determined since 1988. Hunters select larger and older belugas; males outnumbered females 2.0 to 1 between 1980 and 1989, 3.0 to 1 betwe… Show more

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Cited by 30 publications
(25 citation statements)
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“…Interestingly, infectious CODs were identified early in this study (1998, 2000, and 2001), whereas perinatal mortality (2007,2008) and malnutrition CODs (2006CODs ( −2008 occurred more recently. This temporal pattern suggests that there may have been environmental factors involved in this shift in COD (Harwood et al 2014), but further data are required before any conclusions can be reached.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 97%
See 1 more Smart Citation
“…Interestingly, infectious CODs were identified early in this study (1998, 2000, and 2001), whereas perinatal mortality (2007,2008) and malnutrition CODs (2006CODs ( −2008 occurred more recently. This temporal pattern suggests that there may have been environmental factors involved in this shift in COD (Harwood et al 2014), but further data are required before any conclusions can be reached.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 97%
“…Coordinated research is needed to correlate beluga occurrence with the abundance, distribution, and availability of potential prey (Moore et al 2000). In addition to competition with fisheries, environmental changes may also affect beluga growth and condition (Harwood et al 2014) and also need to be correlated with mortality events and the continued decline.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…As such, belugas can serve as valuable indicator species because of their circumpolar distribution, trophic level and accessibility for samples from ongoing subsistence harvests, and circumpolar monitoring programs. In the well-studied Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) beluga population, researchers have documented a decline in growth rates over recent decades, raising concern of climate change-mediated impacts (Harwood et al 2014). Although the population appears healthy and is estimated at approximately 40 000 individuals (Hill and DeMaster 1999), their large home range spanning the Bering Sea to the Beaufort Sea, are regions that have experienced pronounced changes linked to a warming climate (e.g., loss of sea ice (Stroeve et al 2012), reduced landfast ice extent (Yu et al 2014), changes in primary productivity (Brown and Arrigo 2012)) as well as offshore oil and gas exploration and development (Reeves et al 2014).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Loseto, personal communication, July 6, 2017). The growth rate of eastern Beaufort Sea beluga has declined over the past several decades, and although this cannot be directly linked to climate changes, it indicates a reduction in general fitness that may make them more vulnerable to future change (Harwood et al 2014). In general, beluga is considered to be moderately sensitive to the effects of climate change, and less sensitive than narwhal and bowhead (Laidre et al 2008;Asselin et al 2012).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It is protected as the Kittigaryuit Marine Protected Area (MPA), a sub-area of the wider Tarium Pagination not final (cite DOI) / Pagination provisoire (citer le DOI) Niryutait MPA (see Fig. 2) that covers two other areas in the Mackenzie River Estuary (Harwood et al 2014).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%