Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas late summer habitat use and support for foraging areas in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Hornby, Claire; Iacozza, John; Hoover, Carie; Barber, David G.; Loseto, Lisa L.

doi:10.3354/meps12178

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Although ringed seals are the primary prey of polar bears across the circumpolar Arctic, bears also feed substantively on locally available prey, including bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus; Thiemann et al 2007Thiemann et al , 2008a, harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandica; Derocher et al 2002, Galicia et al 2015, harbour seals (Phoca vitulina; Thiemann et al 2008a, Sciullo et al 2017, walruses (Odobenus rosmarus; Calvert and Stirling 1989), beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas; Freeman 1973), narwhals (Monodon monoceros;Smith and Sjare 1990), and the carcasses of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus; Bentzen et al 2007, Schliebe et al 2008, Herreman and Peacock 2013, Galicia et al 2016, Lillie et al 2019. The relative importance of alternative prey (i.e., other than ringed seal) may vary both spatially and temporally according to sea ice conditions (Hamilton et al 2017, Boucher et al 2019, prey life history (Young et al 2015) and seasonal habitat use (Hornby et al 2017). Polar bear diet may also vary within a subpopulation due to differences in body size and energetic requirements.…”

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confidence: 99%

Drivers and consequences of apex predator diet composition in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

2020

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Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) rely on annual sea ice as their primary habitat for hunting marine mammal prey. Given their long lifespan, wide geographic distribution, and position at the top of the Arctic marine food web, the diet composition of polar bears can provide insights into temporal and spatial ecosystem dynamics related to climate-mediated sea ice loss. Polar bears with the greatest ecological constraints on diet composition may be most vulnerable to climaterelated changes in ice conditions and prey availability. We used quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) to estimate the diets of polar bears (n = 419) in two western Canadian Arctic subpopulations (Northern Beaufort Sea and Southern Beaufort Sea) from 1999 to 2015. Polar bear diets were dominated by ringed seal (Pusa hispida), with interannual, seasonal, age-and sex-specific variation. Foraging area and sea ice conditions also affected polar bear diet composition. Most variation in bear diet was explained by longitude, reflecting spatial variation in prey availability. Sea ice conditions (extent, thickness, and seasonal duration) declined throughout the study period, and date of sea ice break-up in the preceding spring was positively correlated with female body condition and consumption of beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), suggesting that bears foraged on beluga whales during entrapment events. Female body condition was positively correlated with ringed seal consumption, and negatively correlated with bearded seal consumption. This study provides insights into the complex relationships between declining sea ice habitat and the diet composition and foraging success of a wide-ranging apex predator.

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confidence: 99%

Drivers and consequences of apex predator diet composition in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

2020

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“…In Arctic seas, estuarine waters play a lesser role in beluga summer distribution. In these areas beluga whales are thought to follow the concentrations of their principal prey, Arctic cod ( Boreogadus saida ; Richard et al, 2001; Hornby et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Important areas for cetaceans in Russian Far East waters

Filatova

Hoyt

Burdin

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Cetacean species are highly mobile, most of them regularly travelling over long distances, thereby presenting complex obstacles to their conservation.Identification of their critical habitats, specifically those parts of a cetacean's range that are essential for day-to-day survival and for maintaining a healthy population growth rate, is necessary for their effective protection.2. This study presents a summary of the data on cetacean sightings during surveys that covered substantial parts of the Russian Far East coastal waters from the Okhotsk Sea to Chukotka in order to determine important areas for particular cetacean species. Sixteen cetacean species were registered during the surveys, and for 12 of them with sufficient numbers of sightings, zones with maximum sighting rates were identified. 3. Only 13% of all cetacean sightings and 22% of sightings of protected species occurred within marine protected areas (MPAs). The highest sighting rates for protected species were concentrated off north-eastern Sakhalin Island, in the Shantar Area, in Anadyr Gulf, in Kresta Bay and in the waters off eastern Chukotka. The analysis of the distribution patterns of various cetacean species in Russian Far East seas provides a solid base for future conservation planning. Lack of specific MPAs for protection of cetaceans and associated biodiversity hinders marine conservation in Russian Far East seas. 4. The study highlights the specific zones important for various cetacean species and suggests the extension of some existing MPAs and the creation of new MPAs for future spatial habitat protection measures. K E Y W O R D S biodiversity, critical habitat, dolphins, important marine mammal areas, marine protected areas, whales 1 | INTRODUCTION Cetacean species are highly mobile, most of them regularly travelling over long distances, thereby presenting complex obstacles to their conservation. Spatial protection of the entire home range of foraging toothed whales, much less migrating baleen whales, is impractical.There are, however, strategies to address this problem. The starting point is the identification of critical habitats, specifically those parts of a cetacean's range that are essential for day-to-day survival during specific seasons, as well as for maintaining a healthy population growth rate (Hoyt, 2011). Various criteria have been proposed for defining critical habitats for cetaceans, such as their importance for

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“…Characterizing the diet of EBS beluga defines the connectivity with the supporting ecosystem components (i.e., lower trophic levels, prey) and has been the focus of many studies (e.g., Loseto et al 2009;Hauser et al 2015;Hornby et al 2017). Harwood et al (2015) examined 634 beluga stomachs and found 94.5% and 86.5% from the Mackenzie Estuary and Darnley Bay, respectively, were empty.…”

Section: Beluga Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…EBS belugas are thought to preferentially feed on Arctic cod (Loseto et al 2009;Quakenbush et al 2015), and satellite telemetry has revealed tagged whales making repeated dives to depths of ∼200-400 m near the Beaufort Sea shelf break Hauser et al 2015), areas found to support dense aggregations of adult Arctic Cod (Geoffroy et al 2016;Majewski et al 2017). Further, analysis of beluga locations collected during aerial surveys in August of 2007-2009, suggest that habitat selection in the offshore Beaufort Sea is likely driven by feeding opportunities as beluga showed preference for environmental conditions associated with forage fish aggregations (Hornby et al 2017). Recent analyses of Mackenzie Estuary harvested beluga whales showed isotopic niche breadth and carbon stable isotope ratios that support opportunistic feeding in 2014 relative to previous years (Choy et al 2017).…”

Section: Occurred Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The EBS beluga visit offshore waters following their summer aggregation period in the Mackenzie Estuary . Beluga behaviour in Beaufort offshore waters, observed from aerial surveys, and inferred from telemetry tracks and habitat models, suggests that feeding is a key activity during this time, after whales have left the Mackenzie Estuary Harwood 1985, Richard et al 2001;Loseto et al 2006;Hornby et al 2017).…”

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Diet and feeding observations from an unusual beluga harvest in 2014 near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

et al. 2018

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The Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) population are an important traditional food for the Inuit of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories (NT) Canada. In 2014, over 30 beluga whales were harvested at Ulukhaktok, NT, the first occurrence of a large harvest in the area on record. Unlike observations from the established beluga harvest monitoring program in the Mackenzie Estuary, these belugas had numerous prey and prey items in their stomachs. Our study objectives were to combine traditional and local knowledge (TLK) from beluga hunters with the analysis of dissected stomachs to identify EBS beluga diet, feeding behaviour, as well as gain insights into potential drivers of the event. TLK holders witnessed foraging behaviors such as herding schools of fish. Stomach dissections revealed Sandlance (Ammodytes sp.) to be the predominant prey species, comprising 90% of identified otoliths, occurring in 92% of stomachs. The low presence of Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida), a preferred prey types, raised questions about prey availability/accessibility and if alternative prey types can sustain beluga energetic needs. Based on interviews of TLK holders, avoidance of noise due to human activity, killer whale presence, and shifts in prey were factors that may have led to the increased beluga sightings near Ulukhaktok, NT.

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Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas late summer habitat use and support for foraging areas in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Cited by 9 publications

References 74 publications

Drivers and consequences of apex predator diet composition in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Drivers and consequences of apex predator diet composition in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Important areas for cetaceans in Russian Far East waters

Diet and feeding observations from an unusual beluga harvest in 2014 near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

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