Baleen whale distributions and prey associations in the Barents Sea

Skern‐Mauritzen, Mette; Johannesen, Edda; Bjørge, Arne; Øien, Nils

doi:10.3354/meps09027

Cited by 52 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…During the first part of this period (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007), the majority of minke whales were feeding in the northern Barents Sea, north of the polar front in association with high zooplankton (krill) concentrations in the productive marginal ice zone (Skern-Mauritzen et al, 2011). They were also predominantly north of the capelin, further indicating that capelin was not the major forage species, at least not in these years with low capelin abundances.…”

Section: Common Minke Whalesmentioning

confidence: 93%

A review of the battle for food in the Barents Sea: cod vs. marine mammals

et al. 2015

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Cod, harp seal and minke whale are the main top predators in the Barents Sea ecosystem. In the last decade, the abundance of cod has increased considerably, and is at a record high level. In spite of this, the growth and condition of cod has remained rather stable, although some decrease is seen in size at age of large, mature cod. During the same period, the abundance of harp seals has declined whereas the minke whale stock has been at a stable level. The body condition (blubber thickness) of these two mammal stocks has, however, decreased, with the strongest decrease observed for harp seals. A possible hypothesis for explaining this is that cod outperform the marine mammal stocks in the competition for food. The main advantages for cod are most likely larger availability of food (mainly capelin) during winter-spring than for marine mammals, as well as a wider range of prey species being available to cod than to marine mammals. Harp seals are more dependent on prey items found close to the ice edge than the other two predator stocks are, which could partly explain why the performance of harp seals is worse than that of the two other main top predators in the area.

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Section: Common Minke Whalesmentioning

confidence: 93%

A review of the battle for food in the Barents Sea: cod vs. marine mammals

et al. 2015

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“…The cod stock used a large area, whereas prey were found in more segregated niches (Skern-Mauritzen et al 2011). Cod had seemingly unconstrained access to capelin and were also able to feed successfully at the border of the distribution of the abundant polar cod (during the years of study there were on average 83.5 × 10 9 ind.…”

Section: Implications For the Bs Food Webmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding in a heterogeneous environment: spatial dynamics in summer foraging Barents Sea cod

Johannesen

Lindstrøm²,

Michalsen³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Cod Gadus morhua are important predators in many ecosystems in the North Atlantic, but their ecological importance has diminished in many areas due to stock size reductions. In contrast, the Barents Sea cod stock is currently the world's largest and at a high level. The goal of our study was to elucidate spatial aspects of cod−prey interactions in the Barents Sea during recent warm years (2004 to 2009). We used data on cod and prey distributions and cod diet collected during the Barents Sea ecosystem survey. Local prey use, feeding success, spatial displacement and spatial overlap between cod (> 2 yr) and prey (capelin, herring, polar cod, shrimp and macrozooplankton) were analysed. While prey species were found in spatially segregated habitats, cod were widely distributed, except the deepest parts of the Barents Sea where shrimps prevailed. Local diet reflected local prey availability. Cod abundance was higher in areas occupied by capelin and herring and lower in the northeastern areas occupied by polar cod. Feeding success increased with the local abundance of capelin and polar cod. Capelin were a targeted prey, and cod fed efficiently on capelin in the areas where they overlapped. Herring overlapped with cod, but feeding success did not increase with herring abundance, suggesting that herring might escape predation. Although feeding success increased with local polar cod abundance, polar cod had a spatial refuge in the northeastern part, which cod did not enter. Our analyses imply that the cod were spatially constrained and that their prey differed in suitability. KEY WORDS: Predator−prey interactions · Spatial anchors · Prey refuges · Ecosystem survey · Gadus morhua Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 458: [181][182][183][184][185][186][187][188][189][190][191][192][193][194][195][196][197] 2012 strained by factors other than the predator−prey interactions per se, the so-called spatial anchors (Sih 2005). In a heterogeneous environment, these include physiological adaptions to physical habitat characteristics (e.g. depth; Alonzo et al. 2003). Migration costs in terms of energy and time spent migrating to and from spawning grounds impose further spatial anchors (Fauch ald 2009). When the prey are more constrained by the spatial anchor than the predator, the predator wins the spatial game, and there is spatial overlap between prey and predators. When the predators have a stronger spatial anchor than the prey, there is a negative or no as sociation between predator and prey distributions (Sih 2005). A stronger spatial anchor for predators than prey might include narrower habitat tolerance, reducing spatial overlap and thus creating spatial refuges for the prey (e.g. Rose & Leggett 1990).Atlantic cod Gadus morhua are important predators in temperate and boreal shelf seas in the North Atlantic (Link et al. 2009). In these ecosystems, cod have the potential to shape the prey community and ecosystem functioning through top-down predation effec...

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“…While the role of krill as a key trophiclink in the Pacific Arctic is poorly understood, its importance as prey for baleen whales is well established in Atlantic Arctic and Antarctic marine ecosystems (e.g. [23,24]). …”

Section: Habitat Partitioning Among Baleen Whales In the Pacific Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it ‘boom times’ for baleen whales in the Pacific Arctic region?

Moore

2016

Biol. Lett.

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The marine ecosystem in the Pacific Arctic region has experienced dramatic transformation, most obvious by the loss of sea ice volume (75%), latesummer areal extent (50%) and change in phenology (four to six weeks longer open-water period). This alteration has resulted in an opening of habitat for subarctic species of baleen whales, many of which are recovering in number from severe depletions from commercial whaling in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Specifically, humpback, fin and minke whales (Megaptera novaeangliae, Balaenoptera physalus and Balaenoptera acutorostrata) are now regularly reported during summer and autumn in the southern Chukchi Sea. These predators of zooplankton and forage fishes join the seasonally resident grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and the arctic-endemic bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in the expanding open-ocean habitat of the Pacific Arctic. Questions arising include: (i) what changes in whale-prey production and delivery mechanisms have accompanied the loss of sea ice, and (ii) how are these five baleen whale species partitioning the expanding ice-free habitat? While there has been no programme of research specifically focused on these questions, an examination of seasonal occurrence, foraging plasticity and (for bowhead whales) body condition suggests that the current state of Pacific Arctic marine ecosystem may be 'boom times' for baleen whales. These favourable conditions may be moderated, however, by future shifts in ecosystem structure and/or negative impacts to cetaceans related to increased commercial activities in the region.

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Baleen whale distributions and prey associations in the Barents Sea

Cited by 52 publications

References 39 publications

A review of the battle for food in the Barents Sea: cod vs. marine mammals

A review of the battle for food in the Barents Sea: cod vs. marine mammals

Feeding in a heterogeneous environment: spatial dynamics in summer foraging Barents Sea cod

Is it ‘boom times’ for baleen whales in the Pacific Arctic region?

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