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Late Summer Distribution of Cetaceans Near Barrow, Alaska: Results from Aerial Surveys Conducted During the Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study, 2007–11

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Late Summer Distribution of Cetaceans Near Barrow, Alaska: Results from Aerial Surveys Conducted During the Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study, 2007–11 Late Summer Distribution of Cetaceans near Barrow, Alaska: Results from Aerial Surveys Conducted During the Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study, 2007–11 KIM E. W. SHELDEN, JULIE A. MOCKLIN, KIMBERLY T. GOETZ, DAVID J. RUGH, LINDA VATE BRATTSTRÖM, and NANCY A. FRIDAY Introduction arctic. For management purposes, four Endangered Species Act (Muto et bowhead whale stocks are currently al., 2016). These stocks occur in the Bowhead whales, Balaena mystice- recognized by the International Whal- Okhotsk Sea (Russian waters), Da- tus, are distributed in seasonally ice ing Commission (IWC) (IWC, 2010) vis Strait and Hudson Bay (western covered waters of the Arctic and sub- and are protected under the U.S. Ma- Greenland and eastern Canadian wa- rine Mammal Protection Act and U.S. ters), the eastern North Atlantic (the Spitsbergen stock near Svalbard), and Kim Shelden ([email protected]), Julie the Bering/Chukchi/Beaufort seas. Mocklin, Kim Goetz, Linda Vate Brattström, Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, and Nancy Friday are with the Marine Mam- Ltd., 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wel- The latter is the Western Arctic mal Laboratory (MML), Alaska Fisheries Sci- lington 6021 NZ. Dave Rugh (retired MML) is stock, the largest remnant popula- ence Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, at 17416 95th Ave. NE, Bothell, WA 98011. The NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, findings and conclusions in this paper are those tion and only stock found within U.S. WA 98115-6349. Julie Mocklin and Linda Vate of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent waters (Rugh et al., 2003), gener- Brattström are currently with the Joint Institute the views of the National Marine Fisheries Ser- ally north of lat. 54°N and south of for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean vice, NOAA. (JISAO), 3737 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA lat. 75°N in the western Arctic Ba- 98105. Kim Goetz is currently with the National doi: https://doi.org/10.7755/MFR.79.2.1 sin (Moore and Reeves, 1993). This ABSTRACT—The aerial survey compo- years. Bowhead distribution was oriented area (e.g., 2008 and 2010). The lowest per- nent of the Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecol- along the barrier islands and 20 m isobath cent feeding both visually and photographi- ogy Study (BOWFEST) was designed to on the continental shelf and also included cally occurred in 2008, the only year whale document patterns and variability in the parts of the Barrow Canyon and shelf break swim direction was predominately westerly, timing and distribution of bowhead whales, that were close to shore. Gray whale distri- and open mouth (skim) feeding behavior Balaena mysticetus, and to provide an es- bution oriented along the Barrow Canyon was not observed. timate of temporal and spatial habitat use shelf break near the 50 m isobath; while Although the paucity of individual re- near Barrow, Alaska. Aerial surveys were beluga distribution ellipses centered over sightings (based on photographic recap- conducted from late August to mid-Septem- Barrow Canyon and offshore slope waters. tures) between survey days (3 matches out ber during the period 2007–11 for a total A four-parameter presence-absence model of 664 identified whales) suggested very low of 171.1 hours flown. In addition to the fo- (bathymetry, bathymetric slope, distance residence times, the photogrammetric sam- cal species, observed species included gray from shore, and distance from the shelf ple (654 whales) was largely comprised of whales, Eschrichtius robustus; one hump- break) found both distance from shore and juveniles (65%). Young whales typically are back whale, Megaptera novaeangliae; be- shelf break were significant in predicting unmarked and, therefore, not matched (only luga whales, Delphinapterus leucas; ringed the presence of bowhead whales. All four 3–6% were highly or moderately marked in seals, Phoca hispida; bearded seals, Erigna- parameters were significant in predict- at least one zone on the body). All intrayear thus barbatus; walrus, Odobenus rosmarus; ing gray whale presence. Only bathymetry matched whales moved east of their original and polar bears, Ursus maritimus. Small was significant in predicting beluga whale sighting location, which was not expected pinnipeds, such as ringed seal and spotted presence. so close to the westbound fall migration. seals, Phoca largha, were often difficult to During the 5-year study, 664 unique bow- The BOWFEST aerial study provides differentiate and identify to species given head whales were identified from 1,415 pho- a 5-year record of late summer presence the relatively high survey altitude of 310 m tographic images. Observers noted feeding of cetaceans in the western Beaufort Sea, (1,000 ft). behavior during 7–50% of sightings and adding to the growing body of knowledge Habitat partitioning was evident among 15–49% of photographed whales exhibited on these species and their habitat prefer- the cetacean species observed in great- feeding behavior in any given year. Of the ences in this region. This information is est numbers: bowhead, gray, and beluga individual whales that were visually or pho- particularly important since the western whales. Abundance estimates during this tographically identified as feeding, 81–90% Beaufort Sea is undergoing rapid change time period ranged from 22 (CV 0.80) to were in shelf waters, and the majority of as the bowhead whale population con- 213 (CV 0.30) bowhead whales, 1 (CV those were clustered around the 20 m iso- tinues to grow, other species extend their 1.01) to 18 (CV 0.28) gray whales, and 0 bath. More feeding behavior was observed ranges and increase their numbers in the to 948 (CV 0.66) beluga whales. Standard and photographed during years when most area, and industrial activity, commercial deviation ellipses showed each species oc- sightings occurred on the shelf (2007, 2009, fishing, and shipping operations are ex- cupied a unique region within the study and 2010) but not necessarily in years when pected to increase in the Arctic as sea ice area with slight overlaps occurring in some bowheads were most abundant in the study decreases. 79(2) 1 stock migrates annually from the Ber- al., 1986; Landino et al., 1994). Dur- rameters, such as bathymetry, currents, ing Sea through the Chukchi to the ing the spring, most of the migration temperatures, ice conditions, and prey Beaufort Sea in the spring. During appears to be a steady flow of whales availability. the spring migration, bowhead whales traveling from the Chukchi Sea to the The Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecol- typically begin arriving in the Barrow Beaufort Sea; however, Carroll et al. ogy Study (BOWFEST) was initiated (now Utqiagævik), Alaska, area in early (1987) reported what appeared to be in May 2007 through an interagency April and continue migrating through feeding behavior (i.e., frequent turns) agreement (formal title: “The bow- until late June (Moore and Reeves, by some whales. Bowhead whales with head whale feeding variability in the 1993). The fall migration generally mud on their dorsal surfaces were also western Beaufort Sea: feeding obser- begins in early September and con- seen during the spring migration near vations and oceanographic measure- tinues to mid-October as bowhead Barrow, indicating that they were near ments and analyses”) between the U.S. whales migrate west across inner shelf the sea bottom, presumably feeding on Department of the Interior’s Minerals waters (Moore et al., 2000) out of the epibenthic prey (Mocklin et al., 2012). Management Service (MMS, now the Beaufort and into the Chukchi Sea, as Braham et al. (1979) stated that Es- Bureau of Ocean Energy Manage- evidenced during previous aerial sur- kimo whalers had occasionally seen ment, BOEM) and the Alaska Fisher- veys (Moore et al., 1989; Moore and bowhead whales near Point Barrow ies Science Center’s National Marine Clarke, 1992; Richardson1; Ljungblad during the summer, some of which Mammal Laboratory (NMML, now et al.2) and satellite-tracking (Quaken- were feeding east of Point Barrow Marine Mammal Laboratory, MML). bush et al., 2010; Citta et al., 2015). close to shore. In 1989, bowhead The goal of this 5-year study was to These whales are important to Na- whale feeding activity was reported facilitate future oil and gas develop- tive subsistence hunters of Alaska, off Barrow from late July to mid-Au- ment-related mitigation by estimating Russia, and Canada, and hunting is gust (George and Carroll5). Moore relationships among bowhead whale regulated through IWC quotas shared (1992) compiled additional records of prey, oceanographic conditions, and between Alaska and the Russian Fed- bowhead whales in the northeastern bowhead whale feeding behavior in eration.3 Barrow is the largest of the Chukchi Sea, comprising 26 sightings the western Beaufort Sea, with empha- Native subsistence whaling villages, that occurred from late July to early sis on identifying predictable aspects landing roughly half of the total num- September between 1975 and 1991. in those relationships. The study fo- ber of bowhead whales hunted each These sightings indicated that bow- cused on late summer oceanography year (Suydam and George4). head whales may occupy areas near and prey densities relative to bow- Bowhead whale feeding activity has Barrow during the summer months. head whale distribution over continen- been well documented in the eastern In the early 2000’s, local hunters re- tal shelf waters between the coast and Beaufort Sea (e.g., Richardson1) but ported bowhead whales feeding in ech- lat. 72°N, and between long. 152ºW only occasionally observed in other elon formation (i.e., animals lined up and 157ºW, which is north and east of areas along the migratory route, par- in a v-shaped pattern, head to tail) near Point Barrow, Alaska. Projects were ticularly during the fall (Ljungblad et Barrow in late August (George et al.6).
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