198 13. Repulse Bay. This Is an Important Summer Area for Seals
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198 13. Repulse Bay. This is an important summer area for seals (Canadian Wildlife Service 1972) and a primary seal-hunting area for Repulse Bay. 14. Roes Welcome Sound. This is an important concentration area for ringed seals and an important hunting area for Repulse Bay. Marine traffic, materials staging, and construction of the crossing could displace seals or degrade their habitat. 15. Southampton-Coats Island. The southern coastal area of Southampton Island is an important concentration area for ringed seals and is the primary ringed and bearded seal hunting area for the Coral Harbour Inuit. Fisher and Evans Straits and all coasts of Coats Island are important seal-hunting areas in late summer and early fall. Marine traffic, materials staging, and construction of the crossing could displace seals or degrade their habitat. 16.7.2 Communities Affected Communities that could be affected by impacts on seal populations are Resolute and, to a lesser degree, Spence Bay, Chesterfield Inlet, and Gjoa Haven. Effects on Arctic Bay would be minor. Coral Harbour and Repulse Bay could be affected if the Quebec route were chosen. Seal meat makes up the most important part of the diet in Resolute, Spence Bay, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay, and Arctic Bay. It is a secondary, but still important food in Chesterfield Inlet and Gjoa Haven. Seal skins are an important source of income for Spence Bay, Resolute, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay, and Arctic Bay and a less important income source for Chesterfield Inlet and Gjoa Haven. 16.7.3 Data Gaps Major data gaps concerning impacts on seal populations are: 1. Numbers, species, and nature of use in Brentford Bay, Bellot Strait, Creswell Bay, Spence Bay, Rasmussen Basin, .and Simpson Strait. 2. Numbers and nature of use in Repulse Bay and Roes Welcome Sound. 199 16.7.4 Resource Protection Strategies Based on the potential severity of impacts and the impor tance of seals to communities, resource-protection priorities concerning impacts on seal populations should be: 1. Protection of populations in Barrow Strait, including the north coast of Somerset Island (all routes). 2. Protection of populations in the Spence Bay-Rasmussen Basin, McDougall Sound, Aston Bay, Creswell Bay, Brentford Bay-Bellot Strait, Simpson Strait, and Chesterfield Inlet areas (all routes). 3. Protection of populations in the Bracebridge Inlet, Prince of Wales-Russell Islands, and Baillie-Hamilton Island areas (all routes) . 4. Protection of populations in the Repulse Bay and Southampton-Coats Islands areas (Quebec route only). 5. Protection of populations in Roes Welcome Sound (Quebec route only). Strategies to protect seal populations include: a) Consideration of alternatives. The western alternate through the Arctic Islands is preferred because it appears to cross a less-densely inhabited part of Barrow Strait and avoids the McDougall Sound, Aston Bay, Brentford Bay-Bellot Strait, Creswell Bay, and Baillie-Hamilton Island areas. However, it does cross the bearded seal concentration area on north western Russell Island. b) Scheduling of construction. In general, construction activities (including staging) should be scheduled so that seal concentrations are not disturbed. Specifi cally, pipeline construction from Bathurst to Corn wallis Islands, across Barrow Strait, across Bellot Strait, and across Roes Welcome Sound should not occur in summer. c) Siting provisions. Staging areas should not be located in bays where there are important concentrations of seals in summer or birth lairs in winter. Specifically, staging areas should not be located in Bracebridge Inlet, Cunningham Inlet, Aston Bay, Creswell Bay, Brentford Bay, Bellot Strait, or Repulse Bay. 200 d) General code requirements. Code provisions should be enforced to prevent fuel spills and to protect seal populations. Examples are provisions requiring fuel spill contingency plans, adequate dyking of fuel storage facilities, and prevention of seal harassment in hauling-out areas. 16.8 Whales 16.8.1 Disturbance Noise and activity from marine traffic, staging, aircraft, or blasting in key calving and feeding areas and migration routes may cause whales to abandon productive habitats for less suitable areas or jeopardize calf survival by forcing them into cold waters. Narwhal are noted as being more sensitive although less susceptible to disturbance than belugas. Narwhal are more sensitive than beluga to a particular disturbance. However, beluga calving in shallow waters are more likely to be in the proximity of such dis turbances than narwhal which calve in deeper waters and would thereby avoid many potential sources of disturbance. Effects on whale harvest would result from abandonment by whales of traditional harvest areas or from reduction of whale populations. Areas where disturbance of whales may occur are: 1. Barrow Strait. According to Read and Stephansson (1976), beluga and narwhal move into Barrow Strait after break-up in late June. From there, many move into Prince Regent Inlet, Peel Sound, and Wellington Channel. In late August and September they migrate out of the area. Barrow Strait is a primary whale hunting area for the Resolute Inuit. Marine traffic in the Strait could disturb beluga and narwhal, although the likelihood of impact is reduced by the fact that beluga and narwhal concentrate in deep offshore waters in Barrow Strait. 2. Cunningham Inlet. Up to 2500 belugas concentrate in Cunningham Inlet in most summers during calving or post-calving periods (late July to late August) (Finley 1976). This area is part of the primary whale-hunting area of Resolute. 3. Prince Regent Inlet. The eastern coast of Somerset Island from Cape Clarence to north of Bellot Strait is important for beluga movements and concentrations 201 in summer (Read and Stephansson 1976). The eastern coast of Somerset is also important for narwhal movements and concentrations, particularly the area from Creswell Bay to Bellot Strait (Finley 1976). Marine traffic in Prince Regent Inlet could disturb beluga or narwhal. 4. Creswell Bay. Up to 4000 belugas concentrate in this area during calving and post-calving periods (Finley 1976). It is the most important and consistently used calving area for the entire Lancaster Sound beluga population. Narwhal also concentrate and may calve here in late summer and it has been cited as a prime area for recovery of bowhead populations (Finley 1976). It is an important whale hunting area for the Resolute Inuit and a remote area for the Arctic Bay Inuit . Marine traffic or any staging activities here would disturb whales, possibly lead ing to direct mortality or abandonment of the area. 5, Brentford Bay-Bellot Strait. Narwhal concentrate here in late sununer (Finley 1976). There are movements through Bellot Strait into Peel Sound. This is a secondary hunting area for Spence Bay and a remote area for Arctic Bay. 6. Repulse Bay. Beluga, narwhal, and a few bowheads summer here (Canadian Wildlife Service 1972). It is the primary hunting area for the Repulse Bay Inuit. 7. Southampton Island - northern tip. Hundreds of nar whal summer in this area (Canadian Wildlife Service 1972); they are hunted here by the Repulse Bay and Coral Harbour people. 8. Roes Welcome Sound. This is the major migration route for up to 10,000 belugas who inhabit the western part of Hudson Bay (Canadian Wildlife Service 1972). Interference with this migration by marine traffic or by construction of the pipeline. across Roes Welcome Sound could affect the harvests of not only Repulse Bay and Coral Harbour but also the coastal communities of Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove, and Eskimo Point. 202 16.8.2 Pollution Pollution of water by petroleum products could lead to mortality of whales or abandonment of important feeding or calving areas. Fuel spills could occur anywhere where marine traffic routes or staging areas are located near concentrations of whales. The impact of these spills would be most severe in bays where there is little possibility of dispersion of toxic materials. Specific areas where pollution could have impacts on whale populations are: 1. Barrow Strait, particularly the coasts of Somerset and Cornwallis Islands. 2. Prince Regent Inlet, particularly around Creswell Bay, and Brentford Bay, and Bellot Strait. 3. Peel Sound, particularly around Bellot Strait. 4. Spence Bay. Primary whale hunting area for the Spence Bay Inuit. 5. Chesterfield Inlet. The mouth of the Inlet and up the Inlet as far as Barbour Bay are primary whale hunting areas for the Chesterfield Inlet Inuit. 6. Repulse Bay. 7. Roes Welcome Sound. 8. Southampton Island - north tip. 9. Southampton Island - south shore. Some whale hunting occurs around the Bear Cove area by Coral Harbour Inuit. 16.8.3 Communities Affected Communities that could be affected by impacts on whale populations are Resolute, to a lesser extent Spence Bay and Chesterfield Inlet, and to a minor degree Arctic Bay. Repulse Bay, Coral Harbour, and possibly the coastal communities of Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove, and Eskimo Point, could be affected if the Quebec route is chosen. Whales are not a major resource in any of the communities, in terms of total nutritional requirements. Only a few favoured parts of these animals are eaten and some meat is used for dog food. 203 However, beluga and narwhal are "high-status" species and hunting them is a favourite activity. Narwhal tusks also provide some income. Of the potentially affected connnunities, whale harvest is likely to be most important to Resolute, Repulse Bay, Coral Harbour, and Arctic Bay and somewhat less important to Spence Bay, Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove, and Eskimo Point. 16.8.4 Data Gaps Major data gaps concerning impacts on whales are related to: 1. Numbers and movements of whales in the Brentford Bay Bellot Strait-Peel Sound area. 2. Numbers, activities, and seasonal use by whales of the Spence Bay, Chesterfield Inlet, and Repulse Bay Roes Welcome Sound areas.