ghi

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7 "'

7 EASTERN INVESTIGATIONS, 1953.

Field work.

The "Calanus" was beached at Fort Churchill in the fall of 1952. During the 1953 season she worked in northern and western Hudson Strait from July 10 to September 16. The captain arrived at Churchill in late May to supervise repairs and the pre- paration of the vessel for the summer's work; the other members of the party joined him in late June, with Dr. E. H. Grainger in charge of the scientific program. On July 10 the "Calanus" left Churchill but was forced to return on the same day because of heavy ice in the bay. A second attempt on July 15 was equally unsuccessful for the same reason, but on July 20 passage was made through the ice and the expedition reached Chesterfield on July 22. The route of operations from then on was as follows: , (July'25); work in the water south of Coral Harbour; Coats and Mansel Islands; Nuvuk, Quebec (August 5); Erik Cove (August 9); across Hudson Strait to Cape Dorset (August 12); work in the vicinity of Dorset until August 26; Schooner Harbour to Seahorse Point, South- ampton Island (September 2); Coral Harbour (September 4); Chester- field (September 10); Churchill (September 15). After one day's work in the neighbourhood of Churchill the vessel was hauled ashore for the winter on September 17. The party left Churchill by air on September 22. The weather was good throughout the summer, and the program of work, which was large, was realised. Fifty-five collecting stations were occupied during the season. Six hydrographie sections, from Chesterfield to Southampton Island; Southampton Island to Coats, Island; Coats Island to ; Mansel Island to Nuvuk, Quebec; Erik Cove to Salisbury Island; and Schooner Harbour, Southwest Baffin Island, to Southampton Island. One section, from Salisbury Island to Cape Dorset, was not completed owing to heavy seas. Temperature, oxygen, salinity and phosphate determinations were made on 155 water samples taken from 29 stations. Eleven hydrographie stations, apart from those composing the sections, were occupied at points of biological collecting. - 9 -

Seventy-two plankton hauls were made during the summer, including horizontal hauls with the new 2-metre stramin net for macroplankton and ellagic young fish, vertical hauls with the Hensen net for quantitative purposes, and hauls with tne quantitative plank- ton sampler (Clark-Bumpus). About one hundred water samples, pre- served with weak formalin for the quantitative study of micro- organisms,' were taken ; and there was the usual dredging, trawling and littoral collecting. Fishing by various methods was tried at many stations throughout the summer, Hand-lining, done at 13 stations, produced various species of sculpin and a small number cf Greenland cod Ipadus ogap). Baited long-lines were used at six stations, in attempts to catch Greenland shark and arctic halibut (Reinhardtius), all without success. Arctic char (Salvelinus alninus) were cauet in gill nets, and char specimens were obtained from -ncal residents at several posts ; for otoliths, etc. Most of the field time in the 1953 season was devoted to the study of the seals and walrus. Material was gathered from 49 seals and 6 walrus ; all the seals being taken in southwest Baffin Island, and the walrus at Sea Horse Point (eastern Southampton Island) and at Coats Island. It was quite apparent that seals are far from numerous in most parts of northern Hudson Bay (and, by report, also in the southern part of the bay) during the summer, There appears to be a sharp decrease in the number of seals in the bay following the departure of the ice in early summer. Only one region where seals were present in large numbers during the summer was found by the "Calanus" expedition , this being in western Hudson Strait, along the southern coast of Foxe Peninsula. Here seal hunting was carried on for about two weeks, and all the seal material of the season was obtained during that time. Of the seals taken, 44 were ringed seal (Phoca hda) and five were square flippers or bearded seal TE-Fiaathus -Fl_rbatus) . , From the 'e stomach contents, parasites, bacula, testes -ià:E(Ïn'and teeth were collected, and measurements were taken. Several seal counts were made with the object of obtaining information on the population dehsity throughout the area covered 9 Walrus were found in fairly large numbers about northern Coats Island in late July, and according to local information they are present in that region in the summer at least until late ...unst, Another herd of walrus, estimated at between two and three hundred, was encountered in early September at Sea Ho: .e Point. (Other estimates for northern Hudson Bay walrus are of the order of 2000 head.) White whales were seen in the vicinity of Churchill between late June and July 20, but only two individuals were observed during the remainder of the season; one at Coral Harbour and another at Sea Horse Point. The first season in Hudson Bay has opened up a number of problems whose solution will have considerable bearing on the economic value of the region, particularlu to the Eskimo; such as the dis- tribution and biology of the caein (Mallotus villosus), the behaviour of the amphipod Themisto libellula, the reasons for the disappearance of the seal from the bay in summer, the migrations of the walrus, and the general production level of the plankton compared with other regions.

Laboratory work. Laboratory work in Montreal and elsewhere has included the working out of field material of seals, amphipod, copepod and cirri- pede Crustacea, polychaete worms, Mollusca and Appendicularia. The analysis of the feeding habits of the seals, based on some 140 stomachs collected from 1947 to 1953 in Ungava Bay, Hudson Strait, Frobisher Bay, Cumberland Sound and Hudson Bay, is almost completed. The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), taken at the Button Islands and at Burwell, feed predominantly upon Atlantic cod (Gadus callarias). The ringed seal (Phoca hispida), a pelagic feeder, was rouna -to subsist mainly on two mysids, Mysis oculata and Mysis mixta, in Ungava Bay, and on the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula in the vicinity of Cape Dorset. Pelagic young of benthonic fishes were also important in the ringed seal diet in Ungava Bay. There is a little evidence for a more benthonic feeding habit in the late winter, but there Aeems little doubt that this species is a pelagic feeder in summer, and that its summer distribution may be controlled by the presence of concentrations of the larger planktonic Crustacea. Three harp seal (Phoal_groenlandica) taken in Ungava Bay and Frobisher Bay were also feeding on the-FrEgic Mysis oculata. The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) is exclusive-17—a benthonic feeder, eating decapod CruMacea, Mollusca, Holothuria and fishes. -4—

The work on the Mollusca of the "Calanus" collections has been temporarily suspended in favour of the study of the biology of the seals. The Gastropoda of the material have been the farthest worked out. Exclusive of the nudibranchs and the pteropods, there are at least 17 gastropod families, which include several species apparently new to . The amphipods, polychaetous annelids and planktonic copepods of the "Calanus" material from the 1947 to 1951 seasons (ccpepods)‘, 1947-50 seasons (amphipods) and 1947-52 seasons (annelids), are close to final preparation for publication. Some 114 species of amphipods have been identified from the Ungava Bay material, of which 21 are new for North America and 5 new to science. The pelagic Themisto libellula has been given special attention, since it is clearly a form of great economic importance in the eastern arctic .. The growth rate is clearly slow, but until winter material is available for study it may not be possible to determine the generation-time and the precise nature of the breeding cycle in Ungava Bay. Of polychaetes, 64 species have so far been identified, many of them new to the eastern arctic but of wide distribution elsewhere, both arctic and boreal. The study of the biology of the two dominant copepod genera, Calanus and Pseudocalanus ? in Ungava Bay ? will shortly be ready for publication, and the Frobisher Bay material is at present being worked out in the same way. In Ungava Bay breeding appears to continue during the whole short summer season, but there are two peaks of breeding activity in all three species (Pseudocalanus elongatus, Calanus finmarchicus and C. hyperboreus), and a generation time, in the summer, of apparently between two and three months. Appendix I.

Publications, 1953. Dunbar, M. J., 1953., Arctic and subarctic marine ecology: immediate problems, Arctic, 6(2): 75-90, Grainger, E. H., 1953, On the age, growth, migration, reproductive potential and feeding habits of the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) of Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, J. Fish. Res. Bd. , x (6): 326-370

Staff. M. J. Dunbar, M. A. (Oxon.), Ph.D. (McGill),. Senior Scientist, in charge. E. H. Grainger, Ph.D. (McGill), Assistant Scientist , I. A. McLaren, B.Sc. (McGill), Junior Scientist, (part time). Marion D. Fontaine, B.Sc. (McGill), Senior Research Assistant, (part time). Barbara Barry, Junior Research Assistant, (part time).

Seasonal Staff R. Collier, Captain, M/V "Calanus". T. E. Wilson, Assistant Technician, grade 1, Engineer. A. D. Dawson, B.Sc. (McGill), Student Assistant. -6-

Appendix II. M. J. Dunbar.

Amphipods. The amphipod material of the "Calanus" expeditions of 1947-- 50, together with a few from Ungava Bay collected in 1951, consists of 114 species, five of which are new to science and twenty-one, besides the five new species, new for North America, Five of the total number, possibly six, appear to be of Pacific origin, being known on the Siberian shelf but not in the Atlantic sector of the north, east of Ungava Bay. The remainder are of arctic, subarctic and boreal distribution, as would be expected from the hydrographie position of Ungava Bay. The material has been used to illustrate the zonation of the marine environment of the northern and temperate regions into arctic, subarctic and boreal, a zonation which is not without economic significance, since it appears that the productivity of the three regions is not the same, the subarctic, or mixed area ? the home of most of the great North Atlantic fisheries. Special being attention has been called once more to the anomalous nature of the Norwegian marine fauna which, although the area is apparently not influenced by arctic water, contains very many members which are not found elsewhere in the boreal, but only in the arctic and subarctic zones. The present material is the largest collection of amphipods so far to have been made in the Canadian Eastern Arctic. There are variations in many species from the types and from the standard descriptions, most of which are based on northwest European specimens, some on Greenland specimens. In two instances, there are pairs of species which seem to be validly separated in northwest Europe but which in Ungava Bay, and perhaps also in eastern Canada generally, are represented by single species showing characters of both the European species, and definitely not separable into two This applies to Westwoodilla caecula and W. megalops, and to Haploops setosa and H. robusta. It is possible that the Canadian type re- presents the common ancestor of the European forms which have diverged in the greater variety of the coastal habitats in north- west Europe, it raises a new problem in nomenclature. The Hyperiid Themisto libellula is not dominant in the Ungava Bay waters to the same extent as it is in the arctic water proper, a fact which is reflected in the feeding habits of the ringed seal reported elsewhere in this report, but it is sufficiently abun- dant to warrant special attention in the full understanding of the biological cycle of the bay. The growth rate in the summer is slow; from about 4 mm to about 24 mm is the extreme range of growth in the

. brood of the year in the months of July and August. At 24 mm the individuals are still quite immature. It is probable that there is only one brood produced each year, but it is not yet clear whether the breeding cycle in Ungava Bay is of the alternating or two-phase • type found in this species in Baffin Island waters, with reproductive isolation of the one brood from the other, or whether there is only a simple sequence of single broods. If the latter is the case, it may account for the smaller numbers of the species in Ungava Bay as compared to the waters farther north. -8-

Appendix III. I. A. McLaren.

Pinnipedia. The analysis of seal feeding begun in 1952 was completed early in 1953. This material consisted of the contents of 88 stomachs collected by the "Calanus" and associated parties during the years 1947 through 1952, in Ungava Bay, Hudson Strait, Frobisher Bay and Cumberland Sound. Small amounts of material from Herschel Island and West Greenland were also available. Some 30, 000 organ- isms of at least 77 species were detected among the food organisms. Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) Eleven harbour seals, all from the Button Islands, were feeding predominantly on the Atlantic cod (Gadus callarius). This seal is found regularly, in the Ungava Bay region, only at the Button Islands and around Burwell. This may be as much due to the presence of cod (the Atlantic cod is restricted to the northeast corner of Ungava Bay) as to bhe need for isolated hauling out areas. Elsewhere this seal is typical of estuarine regions. This choice of habitat may prove to be a function of dependence on the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) In Ungava Bay the most frequently found food organisms of this seal were the planktonic Mysis oculata and Mysis mixta. One . stomach contained an estimated 9,900 of the former species. Very few stomachs containing food species exclusive of Mysis could be considered full. Ringed seals collected at Cape Dorset, Baffin Island, in 1953, suggest that there is a corresponding dependence on Themisto libellula in this region. Fish made up the largest portion of the diet of those individuals not feedihg on Mysis in Ungava Bay. The majority of these were the planktor.lic young of cottids, or of Lumpenus, which do not indicate a , diversion from the normal pelagic feeding. The most frequently found benthonic fishes were the various Cottidae, Boreogadus saida and Ammodnes dubius?. The presence of natantic decapods e when theae were Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) cont'd.... accompanied by many more planktonic elements, was not considered to infer bottom feeding. Two stomachs taken in the late winter of 1950, contained several young flatfish (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), large numbers of shrimp '(Pandalus montagui), a few Buccinum sp., and other indicators of benthonic forageing. The greatest single factor behind summ-,:r distribution and dispersal of the ringed seal may Prove to be the presence of concentrations of the larger plank- tonic Crustacea, Harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) Three of five harp seal, collected in Ungava Bay and Frobisher Bay, were feeding largely on Mysis oculata. Further evidence is needed to illustrate the extent of pelagic feeding by this seal in its summer habitat. Bearded seal (Erignathus barbîtus) The stomach contents of 24 bearded seal support the belief that this species is exclusively a benthonic feeder. The most common food organisms'were shrimp and prawns, bivalve molluscs, holothurians, benthonic fishes, gastropod molluscs, and squid, in that order. A great many other species, some too small to be considered as repre- senting selected food, were fOund. There seemed to be some evidence that the younger seals were less selective in their feeding. These often showed a larger proportion of apparently accidental dietary inclusions, including stones, sand and mud. As has been shown by other workers, seals taken in the early summer (the post-whelping and moulting season) are often found to contain some quantities of stones, sand, etc. The significance of this is not certain. The patchy distribution of the bearded seal throughout the Eastern Arctic is undoubtedly a function of feeding areas of suitable depth, physical nature, and productivity. -10.•

Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) An adult female taken in Frobisher Bay had been feeding largely on hermit crabs (Eupagurus kr8yeri) and the gastropods Natica clausa and Buccinum. The shells of the gastropods and of the hermit crabs had been removed. Species from these stomach. contents apparently new to the region include the decapods (Eualus (SPirontocaris) macilenta (Krbyer) and Sergestes arcticus Kreiyer, and several amphipods. Parasites removed from the stomach contents have been sent to the Institute of Parasitology at Ste. Anne de Bellevue, P.Q. for identification. Work was commenced on material and data collected in the 1953 season, when 44 ringed seal, 5 bearded seal and 6 walrus were collected. These were all fully measured; weight data were taken on 20 ringed seal; and stomach contents, canine teeth, bacula and reproductive glands and tracts were collected. Bacula have been prepared for measuring and weighing, teeth have been prepared for sectioning, and the stomach contents are being analysed. It is expected that this work will be completed early in 1954, when further collections will be of value in enlarging the statistical samples required for tilt, study of growth, ageing, age of maturity and fecundity. -11-

Appendix IV. I. A. McLaren.

MIallusca, A start was made on the large collection of 7m)11uscn, taken by the "Calanusn and associated parties from 1947 through 1951. After an initial sorting of all groups the Gastropoda were chosen for further taxonomic work. These were found to constitute at least 17 families (exclusive of nudibranchs and pteropods) of which 8 have been analysed down to species. These 8 families represent the following 22 species: Puncturella noachina (Linné); Acmaea testudinalis (O. F. Miller); Acmaea rubella (O. Fabricius); Lreta coec770. F. M iller); Margarita groenlandica (Chemnitz ; Margarita helicina (Phipps); Margarita cinerea (Couthay); Margarita olivacea (Brown) Solariella varicosa (Mighels and dams) ; Trichotropis borealis Brod. and Sowb.; Trichotropis bicurinata Brod. and Sowb.; Natica clausa Brod. and Sowb.; Lunatia pallida (Brod. and Sowb.) ; (M. Sars); Amauropsis islandica (Gmelin); Uapülacmaea radiatum Vetulina unaâta Brown ; Vetulina vetulina (0.F.Mftller); Vetulina lani era Miler ; Marsenia n-labra (Couthay); Epitoneum groenlandica (Chemnitz) ; Cylichna albEi— ( gi-own); and Cylichna occulata (Mieels). As might be expected, several of these are new for this sparingly sampled region. Those apparently new to North America are Capulacmaea radiatum which is otherwise circumpolar in dis- tribution, "Vélutina lanigera, known from northwest Europe, Iceland and Weot Greenland, and Cvlichna occulata, which is probably represented by synonymous forms in the literature. -12-

Several of the more plastic genera, such as Margarita, Acmaea and Velutina have been analysed for limits of formal and 7771711-Ur variation. This has shown several features of zoogeogra- phical and ecological interest. Margarita groenlandica is re- presented chiefly by a smooth depressed variety umbilicus. In the young state this variety is difficult to distinguish from the smooth Margarita helicina, which is normally separated by shell form and by lack of sculpture. They may be differentiated on rather fine radular features. Several species of northern Margarita have been recently synonymized with Margarita groenlandica, and M t holicina. It is felt that the species Margarita johnsoni, described by Dall in 1922, may be encompassed within the limits of variation shown by Margarita helicina in this region. A single specimen of Margarita groenlandica resembles closely the variety laevior Jeffreys, which is found in northwest Europe and Iceland, but not in the intervening seas. The forms of Velutina undata resemble those of Europe more closely than those of West Greenland. This work has been temporarily suspended in order that fresh material on seal biology may be analyzed. -13-

Appendix V. E. H. Grainger

Polychaetous Annelids. A start was made in 1951 on the study of the polychaetous annelids of the "Calanus" expeditions, but was carried out for only a brief period, being put aside in favour of other matters. Early in 1953 this work was begun again, and the material includes all the polychaetes collected between 1947 and 1952, in Ungava Bay, Hudson Strait, Frobisher Bay and Cumberland Sound. Besides material col- lected by the "Calanus", additional specimens were obtained from Arctic char investigations (1948 1950 and 1951) and from collections made during an Atlantic cod study at Ogac Lake, Frobisher Bay (1952). The material originated from benthcnic, littoral and planktonic collections, and from the stomachs of seals and fishes, and was taken from the upper tide limit to a depth of 275 metres. To date over 1,100 specimens have been identified to 64 species, representing 53 genera and 27 families. Specimens of at least four more species awaie final identification. It is a characteristic of the polychaetes that many species of the group show remarkably wide geographical distributions. For example, of 70 species of polychaetes found in Northeast Greenland, 44% are mainly arctic and subarctic, and 56% occupy an arctic, sub- arctic and wider distribution, while of 51 species of prosobranch mollusks of the same area, 82% of the species are mainly arctic and subarctic, and only 18% are arctic, subarctic and wider in distribution. Of 64 species identified to date from the "Calanus" collection, twelve species (19%) are chiefly arctic and subarctic, 46 species (75%) are of arctic, subarctic and wider distribution, and 3 species (5%) are chiefly boreal. Of these, 36 species (56%) are circumpolar or nearly so, and 9 species (14%) may be referred to as "cosmopolitan". While 52 species (81%) are found in Greenland and also in northwestern North America, 10 species (16%) are known only from the North At- lantic area, and 2 species (3%) are recorded only from northwestern America and the North Pacific in addition to the "Calanus" region. -14-

The most abundant species recorded to date are Cistenides granulata (L.), chiefly from :-ebisl:er Bay. Nereis Ejl,::gica L., common -throughout the area, ciliata prIncipdlly from Ungava Bay, La7isca rarisp.ina Malmgren and Harmothoe imbricata (L.), both common—.-tUoughout the area, and Auto. lytus Fisni-d-a-cus (Fab.), common in Ungava Bay only, in the pelagic stages, Of interest is the finding of seven specimens of Pseudosabcllides littoralis Berkeley at Port Burwell and in Frobisher Bay, a species described from Burwell and found elsewhere only on Vancouver Island. Taken too was Pseudosabellides lineata Berkeley, a species described from Burwell, and recorded also from Hudson Strait, Dease Strait, Alaska and Vancouver Island. One specimen of this species was collected from Burwell. These are the only species found to date in the collection which occur elsewhere only in northwestern America and in the Pacific. Three species of mainly boreal and more southerly dis- tribution have been found: Tomopteris planktonis ilpstein, a North Atlantic species, recorded only once in West Greenland; Almenia crassa, Oersted, mainly an Atlantic spucies, taken infrequently in more northerly waters; and Malmgren, chiefly a boreal species, also recorded infrequently from more northerly regions. -14a- Appendix VI. Marion Fontaine

Planktonic Copepoda. The greater part of 1953 was spent in analysing the results of the copepod collections made in Ungava Bay during the summers of 1947, t49 and '50 by the research vessel, "Calanus". The report has not yet been completed, but should be ready for publication by January, 1954. The plankton of Ungava Bay is singular in that it consists mainly of Pseudocalanus minutus (KrOyer), with Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) only second in importance. On certain days in 1947 (July 17, August 17 and 19) Calanus finmarchicus outnumbered all other copepods and it may be that thPse are Atlantic copepods brought over from the waters of western Greenland. The breeding cycles and generation times of these two species were studied. Pseudocalaritis breeds continuously during the summer months of July and August, exhibiting a spring maximum of nauplii about June 29, folloWed by an "autumn bloom" beginning about August 24. The generation time for Pseudocalanus in Ungava Bay is about two months in the summer. Calanus finmarchicus shows more distinct breeding periods than does Pseudocalanus. The end of the first spring breeding period appeared on June 29 and the beginning of the second breeding period on August 17. Allowing two or three weeks for fertilization and spawning, the generation time for Calanus finmarchicus in the summer would be about two to two and a half months. There is also evidence that a third overlapping brood is produced some time between July 20 and August 10. Other species of copepods found in Ungava Bay were: Microcalanus pygmaeus (G. 0, Bars), Gaidius tenuisEinus (G.O. Sars), Pareùchaeta norvegica (Boeck), P.' glacialis THansenT7-Fleuro- mamma robusta (Dahl), Heterorhabdus nb-rvé7Icus (Boeck), Acartia longiremis TEi1ljeborg37A.'bifilosa TUiesbrecht), Eurytemora américana (Williams), Oithona similis (Claus), Oncaea borealis TG. O. Sars), Cyclopina gracilifl -Claus), a variety of C. Eacifica (Smirnov) and three representatives of a new species of CycloEina. There also occurred Monstrilla dubia (Scott), M. helgolandica (G.O. Sars) of which females only were present and M. canàdensis (McMurrich) of which males only were present, The rest of the year has been spent in the beginnings of an wyamlnation of the copepods collected in Frobisher Bay by the "Calanus" in the summer of 1951. -15-

Appendix VII, M.J.Dunbar.

EASTERN ARCTIC INVESTIGATIONS Record and restatement of progam.

1 0 PAS' RECORD. During the past seven seasons the following work has been done. binva Bay 1 0 Exploration for trawling grounds, with negative results. 2. Study.of the Atlantic cod (Gadus callarias) in the north- east part of the bay, especially at Port Burwell, inauding the estimation of the possible rate of take per man by handline fishing, the growth rate and the feeuing habits, and the time of arrival and distribution in the bay. (Approaching publication). 3. Hydrographie work (physical oceanography), including sections "enclosing" the water of the bay, with observation of tem- perature, salinity and oxygen concentration. (Approaching publica- tion). 4. Collection of plankton, benthos and littoral fauna, both for faunistic and for biological study. (Certain groups, including amphipoda, annelida, cirripedia, copepoda, approaching publication). 5. A beginning of the study of the abundance and biology of the seals, 6. A faunistic and systematic study of the fishes, fresh- water as well as marine, together with an assessment of their possible value to the Eskimo. (Published). 7. An analysis of the Eskimo economic problem in Ungava Bay, with special references to marine resources. (Published in preliminary form). -16-

Frobisher Bay. 8, The same work as in Ungava Bay. More detailed soundings. only the physical oceanographic work has so far been worked up for publication. 9, An intensive study of the biology of the arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), especially of the stock in the Sylvia Grinnell River, done in 1948, 1950, 1951. (Published). 10, Study of the apparently ”landlocked" cod of Ogac Lake.

Hudson Bay and Strait. 11. Hydrographic sections across the Strait (1950, 1953), and brief study of the marine fauna of the Button Islands, 1949 and 1950, Sections in northern Hudson Bay (1953). . 12, Investigation of the Atlantic cod of Acadia Cove, Resolu- tion Island , 13, The beginning of an intensive study of the seals, es- pecially in southwest Baffin Island. 14. Experimental fishing in the morthern part of the bay and in the strait. 15. The collection of benthonic fauna, including fishes, by dredging and trawling; and of plankton, the latter both qualitatively and quantitatively.

This work is the result of seven short summer seasons (1947-53), each field season being a little over two months. It amounts to many times the total marine investigation in the Eastern Arctic before 1947, The cost of the wi-ole program from its beginning in 1947 to the present date, has been approximately el50,000. This includes the construction of the research vessel i'Calanus" in 1948, -17--

II. RESTATEMENT OF THE PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATION. The original terms of reference were: (1) The general investi- gation of the physical and biological oceanography of the eastern arctic area, and (2) the study of the marine resources of the area in the interests of the Eskimo population, and the discovery, if possible, of resources which could be developed by and for the Eskimo. These terms of reference are still sound, and should remain unchanged. It is apparent, however, that more emphasis should be placed on the investigation of the biology of the Eea mammals, es- pecially the seals and walrus. Unlike the situation in West Green- land, where fisheries are now the most important single occupation, the climate change does not aPpear to have affected the Canadian Eastern Arctic very drastically, and it is doubtful if fish resources exist there, beyond the arctic char, the Atlantic cod at Port Burwell, the possibility of flatfish in southeast Baffin Island and of the use of the Greenland shark (see below). In the Canadian iastern hrctic therefore, it is upon the mammals that the native population must rely for the most part for their native or "country" food supply, and unless experiments with sheep and with domesticated are attempted and are successful, they must rely upon the mammals of the sea, While I am, for these reasons, in agreement with the Boardrs declared opinion on the priority of the study of the sea mammals, I would consider dt a great mistake to let all other aspects of the original terms of reference lapse, especially since much of the more general or fundamental field work can be done in spare time, without harming the main investigation, I refer here to the hydrographic work, the study of the plankton biology and of the general benthonic fauna, which have been a part of the activities of the "Calanus" expeditions since their beginning. .Not to do this work would be a great waste of time and public money for which the Board might well, later, be held responsible. -1g--

The purposes of the investigation are in effect twofold: (1) to obtain immediate information on the stocks of animals of value to the Eskimo or of possible commercial value, and (2) to achieve understanding of the biological systems in the Eastern Arctic, on which the sea mammals and the fishes are dependent and of which they are a part, in order that we may not be working within too narrow margins and so that we may have some picture of future developments in the region, probable and possible. For the latter purpose, fundamental study is essential, consisting of a minimum of hydro- graphic sections, the use of dredge and trawl, and plankton studies on a quantitative basis. These can be arranged so as to allow most of the field time to the primary purpose of mammal study.

THE REVI3ED PROGRAM. A. Sea mammals, with emphasis for the present on seals and walrus. 1. Estimate the present stock. This can obviously only be done piecemeal, working at one or two points at a time. 2. Estimate the Eskimo kill, and any possible wastage of seal owing to sinking in summer or the use of the seal hook in winter. 3. Investigate the reproductive capacity of the several species (age of first breeding, number and frequency of births, survival of young; breeding grounds). 4. Discover if at all possible, whether the reported decrease in sea mammal numbers in the Eastern Arctic, which rests on general and somewhat intangible evidence, can be established in fact, and if so how serious the decline is. This can be done only by can- vassing local opinion, never a satisfactory method, and (in recent years) by consulting Hudson's Bay Company records, which will contain only a part of the seals actually killed. 5. Study the migrations of the sea mammals. Tagging may be possible, at least in the ringed seal, on the breeding grounds in winter or early spring, but a first requirement in the wLole question of migrations is the development of tagging methods for use at sea, and for adults as well as young. The important questions to be answered are (1) where do the Hudson Bay seals go in the summer, and why do they leave the bay, as appears to be the case? (2) where do the walrus of northern Hudson Bay spend the winter? - 19- 6. Study the food habits of the species involved, and the incidence of parasitism, especially by Trichinids.

This work can be done in part during the course of the cruises of the "Calanus"; but most of it requires a shore station occupied for periods at a time s and it requires winter work as well as summer, A whaleboat with inboard engine will be required es- pecially for the walrus study (see proposed field work for 1954 below 4 )

B. Fishes.

1. Continue experimental fishing, particularly with hand- line and trawl. Useful resources in saltwater fishing are not to be expected in most of the Eastern Arctic, but to find good grounds for fishing arctic halibut and Greenland shark would bè very much worth while. The Greenland shark fishery in west Greenland is worth about one million Danish kroner a year at present, and the Norwegian shark fishery in the waters southeast of Greenland is worth five times as much (more than the hooded seal fishery in the same area). 2. Repeat our Frobisher Bay study of the arctic char at another station, preferably in Hudson Bay, or northern Baffin Island, in order to establish whether there are significant differences in growth rate, fecundity, etc., in different regions, It is also necessary to study the freshwater life of the char (breeding grounds, survival of young); until this is done it will not be possible to estimate the take which any given stock can stand.

C. Hydrography (physical oceanography). Occupy hydrographic stations in small numbers only, sufficient to keep control of the environment from which organisms are taken; the necessary sections in the Ungava Bay-Frobisher Bay-Hudson Strait- Hudson Bay area have already been made, and need not be repeated for the present. Each station to include observation of temperature, salinity, oxygen and phosphate and the retention of a water sample, preserved in weak formalin, for the counting of the phytoplankton and other micro-organisms. (see next paragraph). -20-

D. Make collections of macroplankton, including young fish, with stramin nets (1-and 2-metre), this is important not only for its own sake but in connection with the research on the seals, and as an adjunct to trawling for the fish fauna. Use the plankton indicator (on permanent loan from the plankton laboratory in Edinburgh) for quantitative vertical hauls with the Hensen net when time permits. In this work, as with the micro-organism samples mentioned in the last paraiTaph, methods have been standardised with the Danish research in Greenland waters, to make results strictly comparable in the two areas. There is a good probability that the micro- organism material, which will give us an estimate of the standing crop, can be sent to Denmark for working out. The purpose of this plankton work, apart from its immediate relevance to seal biology, is to measure the rate of production of living matter in the Eastern Arctic. A comparison of this production witl other regions will give a standard from which we can make an estimate of the economic possibilities of the mammal and fish popula- tions, and whether the sea mammal are or are not below their natural maxima. For this reason I propose that, beginning perhaps in 1955 we use a little time in lue,suring the rate or production directly, either by the oxygen method or by the new carbon-14 method. Neither is expensive.

4. The biology of the Polar Sea plankton, I have mentioned this in former memoranda. The question of the production level in the Polar Sea (Arctic Sea, Polar Basin, Arctic Ocean, according to pre- ference) is of fundamental interest as well as being relevant to our understanding of the biolor:ical cycles in the northern waters in general, and hence to our ability to estimate and conserve their useful resources. It has never been properly investigated. One trained man could do the job in a year, stationed at a place such as Alert Bay, in northern Ellesmere Island, or other station chosen for depth of water and thickness of ice. This is a marine bio- logical "plum" in arctic work, and if we do not do it soon, the Danes or Americans will, for certain. It si:ould be seriously con- sidered by the Board this year. -21-

F, Participation by the Board in the scientific program of the HMCS "Labrador".

FIELD FLANS FOR 1954.

1, Seals. Former field work, including the 1953 season, has shown that during the summer, there are comparatively few good sealing areas in Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. One of them, perhaps the best of all, is the region of Cape Dorset in southwest Baffin Island. Seal are taken in numbers during the winter and early spring along all coasts in the area except in the southern part of Hudson and James Bays, where they appear to be always scarce, but once the ice has left in the spring the seal appear to leave the normally hunted regions. They must go either to the few good summer sealing places, or to the open water, or into , or out of Hudson Strait to the east. It is proposed to send one man north in early March, if possible to Dorset, to wol.k on the seal at that one point for the six months until September, including if possible visits to breeding areas to tag the animals. If it is not possible to fly him to Dorset, with the help of the RC.i1F, he must do by less direct means, and in any case it is hoped to have him take the Churchill route and to visit , there to make a hydrographic station through the ice, out from the coast. This has been suggested in former memoranda to the Board as a necessary step in understanding the apparently low productivity of Hudson Bay. The water of the Bay is so highly stratified in summer that it is conceivable that a proper vertical exchange of water does hot take place; a winter station would settle this question.

2. Walrus and general program. The man at Dorset will collect all walrus material available there, but it is not a concentration point for the walrus. It is proposed that the "Calanus", sailing from Churchill to Southampton Island as soon as the ice permits, and towing a whaleboat with inboard engine, to be added to the Stationts equipment this year, should go to Coats Island, which is one of the -22- (2. continued) best walrus areas in summer, One man will be left, with whaleboat and an Eskimo helper, to collect walrus material and to attempt a tagging program, while the "Calanus" proceeds eastward to cover the waters off the east coast of Hudson Bay from Erik Cove southward, working on mammals and carrying out the general program of work described in section III of the general memorandum above. She will Iteturn.to pick up the men at Coats Island, and if time permits visit Seahorse Point in eastern Southampton Island, where the walrus appear to move later in the season. The tagging method which it is proposed to try is by metal dart, designed to remain in the skin and fat layer. The skin of the walrus may be tough enough to make the extrusion of the dart by healing processeà difficult. These darts may be applied either by the use of the harpoon gun, but more probably by hand harpoon from the whale boat.

3. Arctic Sea plankton and general studyk If funds are available for this in 1954, it should be undertàken. See section III-E of this appendix above. The study must be made in a region of pure Arctic water, either in the Arctic Sea itself or among the islands. -23-

Appendix VIII. M. J. Dunbar

Suggestions for the biological_program of the H.M.C.S. LABRADOR.

Laboratory requirements.

For summer work, and for parties put ashore by the "Labrador" and later picked up again, probably no special laboratory arrangements would be required on board, beyond ordinary cabin space for writing, space for storage of specimen jars and vials, and the occasional use of deck space for the dissection of large material. For a scientific officer - attached to the shipfs company for longer periods, engaged in biological work, a small laboratory would be necessary, equipped with binocular dissecting microscope, high-power compound microscope, and perhaps sectioning machine, as well as standard reagents and preservatives and any that may be required for specific work; apparatus determination of oxygen and phosphate, etc.

General field of work. 1. Sea mammal biology, everywhere in the Arctic, especially (as far as the "Labrador" is concerned) in the far north. 2. Studies on the arctic char in the far north of its range. 3. The investigation of the benthonic deep fauna of Baffin Bay , 4. The investigation of the shelf and shore fauna of Baffin Island and the islands farther north and west. 5. The search for fishing grounds for arctic (Greenland) halibut; also shark fishing. 6. The study of plankton production and abundance in the arctic water. -2 4-

Detail and technique. No. 3 is a deep-sea job requiring special equipment, which might well best be done by a vessel considerably smaller and less expensive to run than the "Labrador". The others can be done in part by the "Labrador" herself, but best by shore parties equipped with small boats. Much of the work, to be done fully, requires winter as well as summer field work, and for this the "Labrador" is only one of several means of transportation for wintering parties, Summer shore parties can do a great deal of most valuable work in these fields. They should consist of one or two scientists, accompanied by an Eskimo if available, with tent and whaleboat, A 20 to 25-foot whale- boat with inboard engine is much more useful for marine work than a canoe or dinghy with an outboard. The whaleboat should also be a sailer. With such gear, the shore party is highly mobile and can keep out of the way of heavy ice, and moreover can undertake more than one of the above list of investigations in the season. It is not necessary here to go into detail of method -- for instance, that the seal and walrus study should involve the collection of teeth, skulls, stomach contents, reproductive tracts, parasites; and that the char investigation should be along the lines already begun in the Eastern Arctic investigations of the Fisheries Research Board, with the addition of a study of the development and survival of the young char in breeding lakes. A few notes on some of the recommended studies, especially as regards locality, might be useful: 1. Sea mammals. In the area to be covered by the "Labrador" (and I am for the moment omitting Hudson Bay and Strait as at present covered by the "Calanus" expeditions), almost any station in northern Baffin Island or Devon Island would be suitable for seal e walrus e beluga and narwhal. We are badly in need of information on the reproductive capacity, present numbers, Eskimo take, and migrations of the species. Intensive work can only be done by parties ashore e with boats, but much good work can be done by the "Labrador" observers while on board, using the shipfs boats. Census can also be carried out from the deck of the ship in calm weather (when there is no risk of the animals not being seen by deck watchers), and the ingenuity of the crew might find exercise in working out good methods of marking sea mammals in the water, so that their migrations can be followed. Walrus-marking expeditions would be a welcome break in shipts routine. -25-

2. Arctic char work will need the full season from June to September, and therefore the locality must be chosen to allow for this, with respect to the itinerary of the ship, so that the party can be put ashore at the earliest possible date and picked up as late as possible. It is especially important to discover whether there are significant differences in the growth rate, fecundity, etc., at different locali- ties and latitudes. Northern Baffin Island is one obvious place for this work at the moment. 3. Only one expedition, the "Godthaab" Expedition of 1928, has yet made any inroads into the study of the deep fauna of Baffin Bay. As has been pointed out above, however, the work can perhaps better be done by vessels somewhat smaller than the "Labrador". It is long past the time that we should send a deep-water expedition to Baffin Bay for biological purposes.

4. The fauna of the shelf depths in the Canadian arctic is very imperfectly known indeed. It is of ,;reat intrest to discover the extent of the influence of the Pacific fauna in the Canadian arctic, and the density of population of the arctic shelf regions. Collections from any locality, properly labelled for date, station and depth, are useful, and could be made both by shore parties and by the observers on board the ice-breaker, We need both qualitative and quantitative collections, the latter with a grab or other sampler. There is also a valuable field of study in the metabolism and growth rates of arctic bottom-living animals, requiring a laboratory including constant- temperature tanks (see my paper in "Arctic" 1953),

• 5. There may well be undiscovered fishing grounds for arctic halibut IFeinhardtiiis) . along the east coast of Baffin Island and possibly also farther north. The vicinity of glaciers in Devon Island are worth trying. The "Labrador" could well carry a little long-lining gear for this purpose, as well as hand-lines, to be used from ship's boats. Soft bottoms below about 100 fathoms (i.e. deeper than 100 fathoms) are the most likely places,. -2 6-

Shark (Somniosus) are to be expected in the Baffin Bay region of arctic Canada, and a knowledge of their distribution would be valuable. Properly used, the Greenland shark is a valuable resource. The crew of the "Labrador" would no doubt welcome the novelty of shark fishing. They can be caught on hand-lines and long-lines, using tuna-hooks with wire traces, baited with seal-fat. Once caught, they are extremely sluggish and not at all dangerous.

6: Plankton production, or at least the standing crop and its variations, can be studied with little trouble by shore parties and from the ship herself without taking too much time. Since laboratory facilities are reouired (oxygen determination, or the filtering of samples), estimations of production rate could perhaps best be done from the ship, using a ship!s boat, taking advantage of hours in harbour, or in ice, for the actual field work. (The field work here will involve the suspension of bottles in the sea for a number of hours).

For standing crop meacuroments, ib would be very valuable to standardise such work with that carried out each year by the Danes in the eastern part of Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea, continuing their work over to the Canadian side. This applies especially to water samples, to which 2% of formalin is added, for the estimation of phytoplankton crop. These samples are taken during the routine oceanographic stations; for zooplankton, vertical hauls with the Hensen net. This work can be done both by whaleboat parties and from the ice-breaker. -2 7•• Winter work. The "Labrador" offers the unusual opportunity for biological work in the winter in the arctic, on board ship. Two things should be specially emphasized: 1. The winter biology of sea mammals; marking of seal on breeding grounds; counts of colonies of seal and walrus; the examination of the ice-edge in Davis Strait on both the Canadian and Greenland sides for signs of concentrations of walrus, as a possible wintering area.

2. The study of the winter biology of the marine plankton in the north, by operating nets and samplers through the ice. Field results of this sort from anywhere in the arctic (marine) area would be of extreme interest.