Distribution of endemic cetaceans in relation to hydrocarbon development and commercial shipping in a warming Arctic

Reeves, Randall R.; Ewins, Peter J.; Agbayani, Selina; Heide‐Jørgensen, Mads Peter; Kovacs, Kit M.; Lydersen, Christian; Suydam, Robert; Elliott, Wendy; Polet, Gert; Dijk, Yvette van; Blijleven, Rosanne

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2013.10.005

Cited by 133 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…The shipping corridor through the area tends to follow the coastline ) and overlaps with the migration route of both whale species (Citta et al 2015;Harwood et al 2017;Hauser et al 2017a). Ships traveling the current corridor pose risks for these marine mammals, including risks of ship strikes and acoustic impacts (Reeves et al 2014;Halliday et al 2017). We recommend the need for policies minimizing the impacts of increased anthropogenic activities on these marine mammals.…”

Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal patterns in acoustic detections of marine mammals near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories

et al. 2017

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The Arctic is changing rapidly, leading to changes in habitat availability and increased anthropogenic disturbance. Information on the distribution of animals is needed as these changes occur. We examine seasonal presence of marine mammals in the western Canadian Arctic near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, using passive acoustic monitoring between 2015 and 2016. We also examined the influence of environmental variables (ice concentration and distance, wind speed) on the presence of these species. Both bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) and beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) arrived in late April, and belugas departed in mid-August, while bowheads departed in late October. Bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) vocalizations began in October, peaked from April through June, and stopped in early July. Ringed seals (Pusa hispida) vocalized occasionally in all months, but were generally quiet. Whales migrated in as the ice broke up and migrated out before ice formed in the autumn. Bearded seals started vocalizing as ice formed and stopped once ice was almost gone. Given the importance of sea ice to the timing of migration of whales and vocalization by bearded seals, the trends that we present here may change in the future due to the increasing ice-free season caused by climate change. Our study therefore serves as a baseline with which to monitor future change.Key words: climate change, conservation, passive acoustic monitoring, sea ice.Résumé : L'Arctique change rapidement, menant à des changements dans la disponibilité des habitats et l'augmentation des perturbations anthropiques. Les informations sur la répartition des animaux sont nécessaires à mesure que ces changements surviennent. Nous examinons la présence saisonnière de mammifères marins dans l'ouest de l'Arctique canadien près du havre Sachs, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, en faisant de la surveillance acoustique passive entre 2015 et 2016. Nous avons aussi examiné les effets des variables environnementales (la concentration et la distance de la glace, la vitesse des vents) sur la présence de ces espèces. Tant les baleines boréales (Balaena mysticetus) que les bélugas (Delphinapterus leucas) sont arrivés à la fin avril et les bélugas sont repartis à la miaoût, tandis que les baleines boréales sont reparties à la fin octobre. Les vocalisations de phoques barbus (Erignathus barbatus) ont commencé en octobre, ont atteint un niveau maximal d'avril à juin et se sont arrêtées début juillet. Bien qu'ils aient été généralement silencieux, les phoques annelés (Pusa hispida) ont vocalisé de temps à autre au cours de tous les mois. Les baleines ont migré dans la région lorsque la glace s'est dispersée et ont migré hors

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Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal patterns in acoustic detections of marine mammals near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories

et al. 2017

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“…Top predators, such as marine mammals, represent some of the most vulnerable species to climate change impacts (Laidre et al 2008;Laidre et al 2015). In addition to climate change, marine mammals face additional risks from shipping and associated noise, commercial fishing, contaminants and resource exploration and extraction (AMAP 2011a(AMAP , 2011bMoore et al 2012;Reeves et al 2014). Growing concerns about the body condition in marine mammals, seabirds, and forage fish species in the Beaufort Sea underscore the need for new assessment tools and approaches to inform managers and stakeholders (Harwood et al 2015;Laidre et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortisol levels in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas): Setting a benchmark for Marine Protected Area monitoring

Loseto¹,

Pleskach²,

Hoover³

et al. 2017

Arctic Science

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Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are facing profound changes in their habitat, with impacts expected at the individual and population level. Detecting and monitoring exposure and response to environmental stressors is necessary for beluga conservation and management of human activities. Cortisol has proven as a useful tool to assess stress on wildlife. Cortisol was measured in three blubber layers and plasma in subsistencehunted beluga whales from the summers of 2007 to 2010 using an HPLC/MS/MS. We assessed the effect of biological and biochemical factors. Cortisol ranged from undetectable to 17.8 ng/g in blubber and 2.5 to 61.2 ng/mL in plasma. Concentrations were highest in the inner blubber layer likely reflecting circulating levels. All tissues were significantly higher in 2008 for reasons that remain unclear. Cortisol levels were on par with resting levels in captive belugas. Best fit models for cortisol revealed age to be an important determinant along with length and blubber thickness. Lack of relationships with biochemical factors such as organic contaminants suggests current cortisol levels are not significantly influenced by present contaminant concentrations. Our findings support the use of middle and outer blubber tissues for an integrated measure of chronic stress that are less subject to the influence of acute stress.

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“…Loss of sea ice inevitably leads to changes in the Arctic food web Kortsch et al, 2015), including due to increased presence of predators and competitive stress (Ferguson, 2009;Higdon & Ferguson, 2009;Kovacs et al, 2011;Ferguson et al, 2012;Reeves et al, 2014;Breed et al, 2017;Vacquié-Garcia et al, 2017). Sea-ice loss, consequently, is a concern for many species tightly associated with sea ice, including narwhal (International Whaling Commission [IWC], 1997; Laidre & Heide-Jørgensen, 2005;Loeng et al, 2005;Laidre et al, 2008;Moore & Huntington, 2008;Williams et al, 2011;Evans & Bjørge, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sea-ice loss, consequently, is a concern for many species tightly associated with sea ice, including narwhal (International Whaling Commission [IWC], 1997; Laidre & Heide-Jørgensen, 2005;Loeng et al, 2005;Laidre et al, 2008;Moore & Huntington, 2008;Williams et al, 2011;Evans & Bjørge, 2013). In addition to food web changes, loss of sea ice leads to increasing human activities in the Arctic such as shipping and seismic exploration, which possibly further affects narwhal habitat (Evans & Bjørge, 2013;Heide-Jørgensen et al, 2013;Reeves et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Extralimital Record of a Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in Europe

et al. 2018

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On 27 April 2016, a dead narwhal (Monodon monoceros) was found on the bank of the River Scheldt, Belgium. It was the first record of this high Arctic cetacean in Belgium, and one of the most southerly records ever in Europe. Due to the decomposition of the carcass, the results of the autopsy remained inconclusive, but it is likely that the animal had died due to a long process of starvation. In the stomach, a large number of litter items were found which were probably ingested during the process of dying. We further provide information on the sighting of the live animal prior to the stranding and present an overview of the very few known records of narwhal in northwestern Europe.

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Distribution of endemic cetaceans in relation to hydrocarbon development and commercial shipping in a warming Arctic

Cited by 133 publications

References 73 publications

Seasonal patterns in acoustic detections of marine mammals near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories

Seasonal patterns in acoustic detections of marine mammals near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories

Cortisol levels in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas): Setting a benchmark for Marine Protected Area monitoring

New Extralimital Record of a Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in Europe

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