Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Arctic Science
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Volume
7
Issue
2
First Page
567
Last Page
574
Keywords
Bycatch, Discards, Entanglement, Fisheries, Northern bottlenose whale
DOI
10.1139/as-2020-0014
Abstract
A detailed account of a variety of species foraging on Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Walbaum, 1792)) fisheries discards associated with a commercial fishing vessel in central Baffin Bay, Nunavut, Canada is presented. Species observed included three marine mammals: northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus (Forster, 1770)), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758), and a hooded seal (Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777)), and two marine bird species: northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus, 1761)) and glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 1767). Interspecies and intraspecies interactions were observed while species were in close proximity to the stern and starboard of a commercial fishing vessel confirming anecdotal reports from boat captains. Improved understanding of marine mammal and bird interactions with fisheries in the Arctic is required to accurately assess financial and ecological (i.e., bycatch) losses, potential for entanglement and to predict the likely impact on energy flow and transport of these resource subsidies throughout the Arctic marine ecosystem.
E-ISSN
23687460
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Kelsey F.; Hussey, Nigel E.; and Ferguson, Steven H.. (2021). Observation of marine mammal and bird interactions focused around a commercial fishing vessel in central baffin bay, nunavut. Arctic Science, 7 (2), 567-574.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ibiopub/210