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

Abstract

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.

Body condition impacts blood and muscle oxygen storage capacity of free-living beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

“…Marine mammals are sentinels for Arctic ecosystem change, with sea ice loss predicted to reduce available habitat, body condition, foraging success and even survival (Bluhm and Gradinger, 2008;Gilg et al, 2012;Kovacs et al, 2011;Moore and Huntington, 2008). Several effects associated with changes in sea ice and environmental conditions have been recently documented in the Beaufort Sea beluga population, including changes in individual growth rates (Harwood et al, 2014), habitat use and migration patterns (Hauser et al, 2017;Hornby et al, 2016), composition of prey species (Choy et al, 2017;Loseto et al, 2018) and body condition (Choy et al, 2017). To further investigate these effects, we measured physiological parameters of blood and muscle O 2 storage capacity and their relationships with BCI and GL ratios, in order to better understand the potential impacts of Arctic climate change.…”

Lessons Learned through Research Partnership and Capacity Enhancement in Inuit Nunangat

“…Over the past four to five decades, collaborative approaches to research have evolved along with Inuit efforts to finalize and implement land claims (Gearheard and Shirley, 2007;Tondu et al, 2014;ITK, 2018a). More recently, transitions from participatory to partnership research have been emphasized (Brunet et al, 2014), and Inuit, non-Inuit researchers, and research institutions have strived to develop models of co-leadership and knowledge co-production that create value for Inuit and their communities (e.g., see Gearheard et al, 2013;Bell et al, 2014;Healey and Tagak, 2014;Harper et al, 2015;Pearce et al, 2015;Wesche et al, 2016;Cunsolo and Hudson, 2018;Henri et al, 2018;Ljubicic et al, 2018;Loseto et al, 2018;McGrath, 2018;Tomaselli et al, 2018). Though they are happening in a fragmented fashion, these partnerships occur out of respect and good will between particular individuals (ITK, 2018a).…”

“We Don't Know anything about Whales:” Ecological Knowledge and Ways of Knowing in Ulukhaktok, NT, Canada

“…Although there is significant monitoring and scientific work on beluga in the Beaufort Sea, most of this research occurs in communities where whaling is a recurring activity (see Strong 1990;Harwood et al 1996Harwood and Smith 2002;Harwood and Kingsley 2015). Because the abundance of whales around Ulukhaktok was a novel experience, the harvest provided a unique opportunity for scientific inquiry (see Loseto et al 2018).…”