Marine mammal biodiversity and rare narwhal (<i>Monodon monoceros</i>) observations near northern Ellesmere Island, Canada

Carlyle, Cody G.; Florko, Katie R. N.; Young, Brent G.; Yurkowski, David J.; Michel, Christine; Ferguson, Steven H.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.3534

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This novel finding for the species is consistent with trends seen for other Arctic marine mammals (e.g. Carlyle et al., 2021; Chambault et al., 2020; Koenigstein, 2020; Kovacs et al., 2011; Shuert et al., 2022).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Foraging habits of Northwest Atlantic hooded seals over the past 30 years: Future habitat suitability under global warming

Vacquié‐Garcia,

Spitz,

Hammill

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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The Arctic is a global warming ‘hot‐spot’ that is experiencing rapid increases in air and ocean temperatures and concomitant decreases in sea ice cover. These environmental changes are having major consequences on Arctic ecosystems. All Arctic endemic marine mammals are highly dependent on ice‐associated ecosystems for at least part of their life cycle and thus are sensitive to the changes occurring in their habitats. Understanding the biological consequences of changes in these environments is essential for ecosystem management and conservation. However, our ability to study climate change impacts on Arctic marine mammals is generally limited by the lack of sufficiently long data time series. In this study, we took advantage of a unique dataset on hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) movements (and serum samples) that spans more than 30 years in the Northwest Atlantic to (i) investigate foraging (distribution and habitat use) and dietary (trophic level of prey and location) habits over the last three decades and (ii) predict future locations of suitable habitat given a projected global warming scenario. We found that, despite a change in isotopic signatures that might suggest prey changes over the 30‐year period, hooded seals from the Northwest Atlantic appeared to target similar oceanographic characteristics throughout the study period. However, over decades, they have moved northward to find food. Somewhat surprisingly, foraging habits differed between seals breeding in the Gulf of St Lawrence vs those breeding at the “Front” (off Newfoundland). Seals from the Gulf favoured colder waters while Front seals favoured warmer waters. We predict that foraging habitats for hooded seals will continue to shift northwards and that Front seals are likely to have the greatest resilience. This study shows how hooded seals are responding to rapid environmental change and provides an indication of future trends for the species—information essential for effective ecosystem management and conservation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Foraging habits of Northwest Atlantic hooded seals over the past 30 years: Future habitat suitability under global warming

Vacquié‐Garcia,

Spitz,

Hammill

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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“…During an expedition to Petermann Fjord in 2015, about 70 hours seismic reflection profiles (210 cubic inch GI airgun and seven hours with a Sparker) were acquired The observations made in Petermann Fjord in 2009, 2012 and 2019, however, suggest that narwhals are regular inhabitants of the fjord. Notably, the observations in Archer Fjord, on the Canadian side, were also recorded in 2019 (Carlyle et al 2021;Florko et al 2021). These two locations are less than 100 km apart, a distance that narwhals can travel in less than two days.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…The summer stocks of narwhals in these areas are well-defined, and their abundance is regularly updated to monitor the sustainability of the traditional narwhal hunt (Doniol-Valcroze et al 2020). An observation of narwhals at 81.5°N, at Archer Fjord, in August 2019, was surprising, considering that the northernmost recognized stock of narwhals in west Greenland is found at 78°N (Carlyle et al 2021;Fig. 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of a narwhal (Monodon monoceros) summer ground in Nares Strait

Heide-Jørgensen,

Box,

Hansen

et al. 2024

Polar Research

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Our limited knowledge of the marine mammal fauna in northernmost Greenland and Canada, specifically north of 80°N, relies largely on opportunistic observations collected during expeditions with different objectives. The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) migrates long distances in response to ice formation and decay and is notoriously skittish, avoiding areas with ice breakers. Scattered observations from the past 20 years, assessed together with historical observations after 1881, suggest that there is a population of narwhals that uses Hall Basin and its adjacent fjord systems—for example, Nares Strait—as a summer ground. Dating the tusks and bones that have been found shows that narwhals were present in this area as far back as nearly 7000 years ago. The wintering locations of these narwhals remain unknown, highlighting the need to investigate whether they are vulnerable to hunting activities in north-west Greenland. By gaining a better understanding of the narwhals’ winter behaviour and potential hunting risks, we can develop more informed conservation and management strategies for this population.

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Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) detection by infrared flukeprints from aerial survey imagery

et al. 2021

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Visual and observer aerial surveys are important for monitoring wildlife populations but are subject to visibility biases where animals may go undetected. The use of infrared technology in aerial surveys has the potential to reduce visibility biases, both when recording data and in the retrospective processing of the footage, and thus complements visible wavelength photography. We used infrared video during marine mammal surveys in the high‐Arctic and indirectly detected narwhal (Monodon monoceros) via their thermal flukeprints (i.e., thermo‐stratified water mixing from fluke strokes). This novel indicator persisted for a longer duration than when the animal was at the water's surface, which likely improved the probability of an animal being observed by increasing the duration of its detectability. Using infrared to complement aerial photographic surveys may assist in monitoring whales, especially in remote areas. Our results highlight how infrared technology may be used to develop automatic detection and remote‐monitoring methodology.

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Marine mammal biodiversity and rare narwhal (Monodon monoceros) observations near northern Ellesmere Island, Canada

Abstract: mammal biodiversity and rare narwhal (Monodon monoceros) observations near northern Ellesmere Island, Canada.

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Foraging habits of Northwest Atlantic hooded seals over the past 30 years: Future habitat suitability under global warming

Foraging habits of Northwest Atlantic hooded seals over the past 30 years: Future habitat suitability under global warming

Evidence of a narwhal (Monodon monoceros) summer ground in Nares Strait

Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) detection by infrared flukeprints from aerial survey imagery

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