Arctic Whales and seals

State of Canada’s Arctic Seas

Niemi, A., Ehrman, A., Ahmed, M., Arey, M., Azetsu-Scott, K., Babin, M., Capelle, D., Christie, L., Devred, E., Drake, A., Dunmall, K., Elias, J., Falardeau, M., Ferguson, S., Gilbert, M., Halliday, W., Harris, L., Hedges, K., Illasiak, J., Loseto, L., MacPhee, S., Maps, F., Marcoux, M., Mayette, A., McNicholl, D., Melling, H., Michel, C., Moore, JS., Nelson, J., Nudds, S., O’Brien, Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, Richards, C., Scharffenberg, K., Shuert, C., Storrie, L., Zallman, R., Watt, C., Walkusz, W., Wiens, L., Williams, W., Young, B. & Yurkowski, D.

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Key points

• The section on underwater noise in the Arctic provides an update on recent studies examining the exposure of Arctic marine mammals to underwater noise, as well as examining the impacts of underwater noise on the animals.
• The review includes studies on the impacts of vessel noise on bowhead whales, beluga whales, and narwhal in the Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, and Hudson Bay.

Abstract

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is committed to informing Canadians on the state of Canada’s three oceans as part of an Ecosystem Reporting initiative established in 2016. This second Arctic report presents a synthesis of current knowledge that describes ecosystem structure and function. The new knowledge presented in this report not only advances our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie ecosystem responses to variability and change, but also adds to the crucial long term time series from which change can be assessed.

The ecosystem-based approach of the report reiterates the importance of understanding physical environmental conditions and the base of the food web in order to understand the status of priority species. Integrated themes including food webs, habitat, biodiversity, seasonality, and ecosystem variability and connectivity are discussed, and presented together with Case Studies that provide theme-based examples of ecosystem status. The report identifies how Inuit and researchers are increasingly working together to identify and address ecosystem questions; however, the state of documented knowledge greatly varies across the Canadian Arctic.

Recommended citation

Niemi, A., Ehrman, A., Ahmed, M., Arey, M., Azetsu-Scott, K., Babin, M., Capelle, D., Christie, L., Devred, E., Drake, A., Dunmall, K., Elias, J., Falardeau, M., Ferguson, S., Gilbert, M., Halliday, W., Harris, L., Hedges, K., Illasiak, J., Loseto, L., MacPhee, S., Maps, F., Marcoux, M., Mayette, A., McNicholl, D., Melling, H., Michel, C., Moore, JS., Nelson, J., Nudds, S., O’Brien, Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, Richards, C., Scharffenberg, K., Shuert, C., Storrie, L., Zallman, R., Watt, C., Walkusz, W., Wiens, L., Williams, W., Young, B. & Yurkowski, D. (2024). State of Canada’s Arctic Seas. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://wcscanada.org/resources/state-of-canadas-arctic-seas/