Estimating Abundance and Total Allowable Removals for Walrus in the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait and South and East Hudson Bay Stocks During September 2014
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Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Research Document 2016/036 Québec Region Estimating abundance and total allowable removals for walrus in the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait and south and east Hudson Bay stocks during September 2014 M.O. Hammill1, A. Mosnier1, J-F Gosselin1, J.W. Higdon2, D.B. Stewart3, T. Doniol-Valcroze1, S.H Ferguson4 and J.B. Dunn4 1 Science Branch Fisheries and Oceans Canada Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 rte de la mer Mont-Joli, QC. G5H 3Z4 2Higdon Wildlife Consulting 912 Ashburn Street Winnipeg, MB. R3G 3C9 3 Arctic Biological Consultants 95 Turnbull Drive Winnipeg, MB. R3V 1X2 4 Science Branch Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute 501 University Crescent Winnipeg, MB. R3T2N6 June 2016 Foreword This series documents the scientific basis for the evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time frames required and the documents it contains are not intended as definitive statements on the subjects addressed but rather as progress reports on ongoing investigations. Research documents are produced in the official language in which they are provided to the Secretariat. Published by: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat 200 Kent Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E6 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/ [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2016 ISSN 1919-5044 Correct citation for this publication: Hammill, M.O., A. Mosnier, J-F Gosselin, J.W. Higdon, D.B. Stewart, T. Doniol-Valcroze, S.H Ferguson and J.B. Dunn. 2016. Estimating abundance and total allowable removals for walrus in the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait and south and east Hudson Bay stocks during September 2014. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/036. v + 37 p. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... IV RÉSUMÉ ................................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................1 MATERIALS AND METHODS ....................................................................................................2 TOTAL ALLOWABLE HARVESTS ......................................................................................... 5 CATCH DATA ........................................................................................................................ 5 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................6 HUDSON BAY-DAVIS STRAIT STOCK ................................................................................. 6 SOUTH AND EAST HUDSON BAY STOCK .......................................................................... 7 Counts adjusted for animals in the water ............................................................................ 7 DISCUSSION..............................................................................................................................8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................................................13 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................13 TABLES ....................................................................................................................................17 FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................31 iii ABSTRACT Aerial surveys to determine abundance of walrus from the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait, and south and East Hudson Bay stocks, were flown in September 2014. Surveys covered the areas of Hudson Strait, south Baffin Island, Southampton Island and as far south as Cape Henrietta Maria in Ontario. A total of 2,144 hauled out animals were counted in the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stock, and 58 animals in the South and East Hudson Bay stock. Adjusting the counts for the proportion of animals hauled out at the time of the survey, using haulout data from several different studies, results in an abundance estimate of 7,100 (95% Confidence Limit, CL = 2,500–20,400) (rounded to the nearest 100) in the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stock. Counts from 2007 along the southeast coast of Baffin Island estimated 2,500. Adding the two counts together is not recommended because the two areas were surveyed at different times and there is some movement between areas. Total abundance for the South and East Hudson Bay stock is 200 (95% CL = 70–570) (rounded to the nearest 10) animals. PBR estimates range from 90 to 180 animals for the northern Hudson Bay-Hudson Strait component of the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stock and from 2–6 animals from the South and East Hudson Bay stock, depending on PBR model assumptions. iv Estimations de l'abondance et prélèvements totaux admissibles pour les stocks de morse de l’Atlantique de la baie d'Hudson et du détroit de Davis et de la partie sud et est de la Baie d'Hudson RÉSUMÉ Des relevés aériens ont été réalisés en septembre 2014 pour déterminer l'abondance du stock de morses du détroit de Davis et de la baie d'Hudson, et celle du stock du sud et de l'est de la baie d’Hudson. Les relevés couvraient le détroit d'Hudson, le sud de l'île de Baffin et l'île de Southampton, et allaient aussi loin au sud que Cape Henrietta-Maria, en Ontario. Au total, 2 144 animaux sortis de l'eau ont été comptés pour le stock du détroit de Davis et de la baie d'Hudson, et 58 animaux pour le stock du sud et de l'est de la baie d’Hudson. L'ajustement des données pour la proportion de la population qui se trouve dans une échouerie au moment du relevé, en utilisant les données d'échouerie de différentes études, donne une estimation d'abondance de 7 100 animaux (intervalle de confiance [IC] de 95 % = 2 500-20 400) (arrondie à la centaine près) pour le stock du détroit de Davis et de la baie d'Hudson. Les dénombrements de 2007 le long de la côte sud-est de l'île de Baffin ont donné une estimation de 2 500 morses. Il n'est pas recommandé de regrouper les deux dénombrements parce que les deux zones ont été étudiées à différents moments et qu'il peut y avoir des transferts entre les zones. L'abondance totale du stock du sud et de l'est de la baie d'Hudson est de 200 individus (IC de 95 % : 70-570) (arrondie à la dizaine près). Les estimations du prélèvement biologique potentiel (PBP) varient de 90 à 180 animaux pour la composante du nord de la baie d'Hudson et le détroit d'Hudson du stock du détroit de Davis et de la baie d'Hudson, et de 2 à 6 animaux pour le stock du sud et de l'est de la baie d'Hudson, selon les hypothèses du modèle du PBP. v INTRODUCTION The walrus family contains only one extant species, which is divided into two subspecies: the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) (Riedman 1990). Atlantic walruses were once widely distributed in Canada and common south to the Gulf of St Lawrence and Sable Island, but were extirpated from these areas by the late 1700s (Born et al. 1995, Stewart et al. 2014a; Clark undated unpublished manuscript). Walruses have a comparatively narrow ecological niche (Born et al. 1995). Successful populations appear to depend on: 1) the availability of large areas of shallow water (80 m or less) with suitable bottom substrate to support a productive bivalve community, 2) the presence of reliable open water over rich feeding areas, particularly in winter when access to many feeding areas is limited due to ice cover, and 3) the presence of haul-out areas in close proximity to feeding areas (Wiig et al. 2014). Walruses are harvested for subsistence, and in addition there is a limited sports hunt in Canada. The Committee on Species of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has assessed Atlantic walrus as ‘Special Concern’ (COSEWIC 2006). They are also listed under Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which means that a permit from the Canadian CITES authorities is required to export walrus parts from Canada. In Canada, Atlantic walruses can be divided into two populations, a High-Arctic population and a central Arctic population based on analysis of microsatellite DNA (Shafer et al. 2014). A total of seven stocks have been identified, based on a combination of genetic, distributional, telemetry, stable isotope and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, with three stocks occurring within the High Arctic population: the Penny Strait-Lancaster Sound, West Jones Sound and Baffin Bay (shared with Greenland) stocks and four stocks occurring in the central Arctic population: the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait (shared with Greenland), Northern Foxe Basin, and Central Foxe Basin. For management purposes the two Foxe Basin stocks are combined. Although not sampled, walrus from the south and east Hudson Bay area have been considered a separate stock because it was considered to be largely isolated from other stocks (Fig. 1) (Stewart 2008; DFO 2013; Shafer et al. 2014). Walrus are considered data poor and the Potential Biological Removal (PBR) approach has been used to estimate sustainable removals (Stewart and Hamilton 2013). PBR is an invention of the United States Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, where the stated management