RESTRICTED Material in this report is not to be quoted without explicit permission
FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA
ARCTIC BIOLOGICAL STATION
Ste. Anne de Bellevue, P.Q. tà.ikektAkt
!, •
9tek 'CUPP- -" -Annual Report
and
Investigators , Summaries
April 1, 1964 to
March 31, 1965
J. G. Hunter, In Charge to Dec. 31, 1964
C. J. Kerswill, Director, from Jan. 1, 1965 RESTRICTED Material in this report is not to be quoted without explicit permission
FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA
ARCTIC BIOLOGICAL STATION
Ste. Anne de Bellevue, P.Q.
Annual Report
and
Investigators , Summaries
April 1, 1964 to
March 31, 1965
J. G. Hunter, In Charge to Dec. 31, 1964
C. J. Kerswill, Director, from Jan. 1, 1965
FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA
Report for Calendar Year 1964
of the AxCtic Biological Station,
Montreal, Que.
by J. G. Hunter, Scientist in Charge.
The objectives of the Arctic Biological Station embrace a study of the biology of northern aquatic environments and the establishment of a basis of biological information on arctic aquatic productivity for the best economic development and optimum use of the resources involved.
The Station operates two vessels, the 50-foot M.V. Calanus which has been undergoing refit in Montreal during the past year, and the 38-foot M.V. Salvelinus which has been carrying out explora- tory fishing and hydrographie work in the central Arctic. A third vessel, the 119-foot Radium Gilbert has been on charter for the past two years for use in a fisheries and limnological survey of Great
Bear Lake.
The time available for field work in open waters in the
Arctic is normally limited to a period of three months in the
summer. Extreme ice conditions of the past year restricted open- water work to a much shorter period.
It is expected that a new laboratory in Ste. Anne de
Bellevue will be occupied by staff in February. -2-
Fisheries Investigations Char Studies
Nettilling Lake. A survey of the arctic char (Salvelinus
alpinus)potential of Nettilling Lake, Baffin Island, was initiated
in cooperation with the Department of Northern Affairs and National
Resources in the early spring. Results indicate that large areas of
the lake have only a small landlocked char population and that only
certain locations near main inflow rivers provide areas where reasonable fishing success might be expected during summer months.
Many of these fish are parasitized by Diphllobothrium sp. The
anadromous char- started their return to the lake on September 5 and were sampled until September 11 when weather conditions made it
necessary to close the survey. Growth rate of the char in Nettilling
Lake is slow and production is very limited. Use of the accumulated
capital stocks of both landlocked and anadromous char on a short-term
basis is suggested as an efficient method of utilization.
Frobisher Bay. During the period 1958 to 1963 the 10,000
pound quota commercial fishery for arctic char in Frobisher Bay has
shown a steady decline in catch per unit of fishing effort, while
average size and age of the fish have remained constant. No further
decline in catch per unit of effort was found in the 1964 fishery.
An estimated reduction of 70% of the sport and subsistence fishery
over previous years is considered an important factor in checking
this past decline in fishing success.
Labrador. A program of study was initiated on the arctic
char in the Nain area of the Labrador coast in order to gather
information related to the population dirnamics of the stocks under -3- conditions of a relatively heavy fishery.
Great Bear Lake
In the second year of the limnological and fisheries survey of Great Bear Lake the two northern arms, Smith and Dease, were examined and the morphometry plotted. Both arms had many reefs and shoals within a few feet of the surface.
Titrations made at selected locations throughout the lake showed no lack of oxygen in the water, indicating a turnover of the bottom waters. But the near constant water temperatures below 200 metres obscure the mechanism of turnover.
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were found to be universally distributed throughout the lake. Small catches resulted from gill netting in even the deepest water and at dis- tances of 18 miles from nearest land. Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) were fairly numerous in only the more sheltered bays.
Other species of fish caught included pickerel (Stizostedion vitreum), pike (Esox lucius) and faar.-horned sculpins (Myoxocephalus quadricornis thompsoni).
Invertebrate organisms tended to be restricted to great depth and possibly uniform temperature regimes.
Baker Lake
Observations made during the winter at Baker Lake showed the presence of a slightly saline layer on the bottom indicating access to the sea under certain conditions. Although the salinity was very low (50 ppm at 25 metres and 342 ppm at 60 metres) the proportions of constituents clearly indicated a marine origin. -4-
Marine Fisheries
Exploratory fishing from the M.V. Salvelinus was continued
in the Cape Parry area and Cambridge Bay by gill netting, bottom
trawling and long lining. Three stations were sampled a total of
14 times for temperature and salinity observations and collection
of plankton samples. Fishery work consisted largely of locating and
sampling cod, Gadus ogac and Arctogadus borisovi. Bottom areas
suitable for cod trawling were found to be scarce in the Coronation
Gulf area. Echo traces Showed a very low general abundance of fish
except in semi-enclosed harbours and bays. Examination of ages of
-G. ogac taken during the past three years indicate complete dominance by single year classes, suggesting that abundance may fluctuate markedly from period to period.
Marine Mpmmal Investigations
Harp Seals
Young harp seals were tagged in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the period March 1 to 11 in an attempt to determine the numbers of young animals present and the rate of exploitation. A total of
2844 young seals (whitecoats) were tagged. Subsequent recoVery of tags and reperted kills indicated a production of 120,000 young seals.
A confirmatory estimate based upon an aerial photographic survey and other sightings of breeding females raised this estimate to 150,000 young. This population with a known kill of 80,500 indicates a total fishing mortality of 54%.
In one group of seals photographed on three separate days the counts suggested that over 65% of births occurred between the dates February 28 to March 4. -5-
Numbers of breeding female and young harp seals east of
Belle Isle ("Front") were estimated from a photographic aerial survey from March 7-11. Resulting estimates were adjusted to include breeding groups missed in the photographic survey to give a population estimate of 200,000 young seals. A kill of 179,000 young seals reported by ships alone indicates the commercial fishery removed 80 to 90% of the annual production.
Under this intensive fishery the Front stocks of harp seals will continue to decline despite an increase in fertility shown in recent years.
White Whales
Sampling of white whales in northwest Hudson Bay from a net fishery at Whale Cove was concluded this year with adequate information having been collected for determining the absolute ages of specimens and vital statistics of the population.
East Coast Whales
Several groups of observers including those at a new limited whale fishery off the east coast of Nova Scotia, personnel of the M.V. Harengus, officers of the cable ship Lord Kelvin, and the R.C.A.F. provided information on species distribution and abundance of whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and offshore areas.
Ten species of whales, dolphins, and porpoise totalling about 800 separate animals and over 32 separate herds of dolphins and porpoise were reported.
Grey Seals
Information accumulated from tagging and marking experiments on young grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) show an -6-
active dispersal over a wide area from their place of birth.
The large concentrations of grey seals found at Miquelon (France)
and scattered along the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts appear to
originate in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and eastern Nova
Scotia.
Codworm
The relative importance of harp, grey, and harbour seals
as vectors of codworm (Porrocaecum LifslEitan), based upon reported
incidence of infestation and present population densities of seals
in different areas, is shown in Appendix 10.
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence the harp seal, despite its
- short residence, appears to be the most important vector of codwormi
grey and harbour seals fill this position elsewhere on the coast.
Narwhal
Studies of the biology of the narwhal were continued in
Milne Inlet, northern Baffin Island, during the summer. A total of
18 animals, mostly females and their calves were netted. Stomachs
contained a few squid beaks and cod otoliths but no signs of recent
active feeding. Observations on behaviour during the summer
migration into the inlet suggest that mating may occur at this
time. Narwhals are gregarious, usually travelling in groups or
pods of up to 10 animals. On several occasions herds of between
100 and 200 were seen in the bay while on one occasion a herd
estimated to contain at least 2000 narwhals of all sizes was observed.
Biological Oceanography
Zooplankton
Examination of zooplankton collections taken by the Canadian vessels Baffin and Sackville during the Norwestlant 2 portion of the 1963 ICNAF environmental survey of Greenland waters has been completed and the distribution of zooplankton biomass in the upper 100 metres has'been analysed. The region of maximum standing crop in the central Labrador Sea and central Davis Strait was characterized by the presence of the greatest number of many of the larger stages of Calanus finmarchicus as well as several other species of copepods, amphipods, chaetognaths, pteropods, adult euphausiids, polychaetes and ostracods. In the less rich areas the most abundant groups, especially over the Greenland banks, were larvae of echinoderms, cirripedes and decapod crustaceans. Loca- tions showing the highest zooplankton quantity were generally warmer than areas supporting a smaller biomass. Arctic species were not found in water warmer than 3°C while Arctic and Atlantic species were seldom found together in water colder than 1.5°C.
Phytoplankton
Examination of samples collected during the Norwestlant 2 survey show the degree of mixing and penetration of Atlantic into arctic water masses through distribution of different species.
A number of nannoplankters have been found which produce starch grains, and arctic water samples show abundant numbers (up to 9 million/litre) of the starch cells existing in a free state.
No grazers have been found capable of digesting starch in this form and large concentrations of the grains are found in the faecal pellets of the grazers.
The Department of Mines and Technical Surveys collected quantitative samples of phytoplankton from surface waters to 2300 metres depth from the area between the Labrador Sea and Hall Basin.
They constitute the first samples of their kind from deep northern
water.
Landlocked Fiords
Work was Continued on landlocked fiords as natural
laboratories for the study of marine production. A survey of
Winton Bay, on the east coast of Baffin Island, was made in August.
The landlocked head of this fiord is colder than the previously
studied Ogac Lake, and supplied valuable data on a number of
organisms.
Addendum
by C. J. Kerswill, Director, from Jan. 1, 1965.
At present it is desirable to continue to produce the
annual multigraphed report of this Station for the fiscal year
(April 1 to March 31) although the printed annual report of the
Board is now on a calendar year basis. For 1964-65 it allows us
to report an important event, namely the move in early February,
1965, of our headquarters from 505 Pine Avenue West, Montreal to a new building on the outskirts of Ste. Anne de Bellevue, near the new Trans Canada Highway. The move disrupted staff work at the regular time of data analysis and reporting, and the summary
reports were completed later.
The sketch of the new Arctic Biological Station building by the architect, Mr. Maurice Legaré of Montreal, is reproduced as the frontispiece to this report. The contract for its construction was awarded to McNamara Construction Ltd. Work started in April -9-
1964 and the building was ready for occupancy by February 1, 1965.
It has a one-storey administrative section in front, containing the offices of the Director, Administrative Officer, secretarial and clerical staffs, the library, a conference room, and a map and draughting room. The front section connects by a hallway to the two-storey laboratory wing. It has office and laboratory accommo- dation for all scientific and technical staff on the upper floor, and wet laboratories, storerooms, open working areas, and a work- shop on the lower floor. Heating and plumbing equipment is accommodated under the connecting hallway and there is a large storage area under part of the front administrative section. PERSONNEL
(April 1, 1964 to March 31, 1965)
Scientific
C. J. Kerswill, M.A., Ph.D. Scientist 4, Director (from January 1, 1965) E. H. Grainger, M.Sc., Ph.D. Scientist 3 J. G. Hunter, M.A. Scientist 3 L. Johnson, M.Sc., Ph.D. Scientist 3 A. W. Mansfield, M.A., Ph.D. Scientist 3 D. E. Sergeant, M.A., Ph.D. Scientist 3 A. S. Bursa, M.Sc. Scientist 2
Administrative and Clerical
G. F. Hart Administrative Officer 4 Lois G. MdMullon Clerk 4 Elaine M. Daley Stenographer 2 (to January 18, 1965) Emmy K. A. Dreyer Stenographer 2
Technical
B. Beck Technician 4 I. G. Gidney Technician 4 Lyn A. Farquharson, B.Sc. Technician 3 W. F. Pinckard Technician 3 A. A. Mohammed, B.Sc. Technician 2 C. W. Nicol Technician 2 (from January 1, 1965) Enid E. Rutland, B.Sc., B.L.S. Technician 1 (to November 6, 1964) Shirley T. Leach Assistant Technician 3
Seasonal and Term
I. A. McLaren, M.Sc., Ph.D. Scientist (July 2 to August 31, 1964) J. Boulva Student Assistant (June 15 to September 20, 1964) D. R. Curtis Student Assistant (June 15 to September 14, 1964) R. H. Doleman Student Assistant (June 3 to September 16, 1964) M. Fisher Student Assistant (June 15 to September 5, 1964) J. P. Fretz Student Assistant (June 15 to September 11, 1964) R. N. Jones Student Assistant (June 3 to September 15, 1964) D. G. Patriquin Student Assistant (June 15 to September 22, 1964) -2-
Seasonal and Term (Continued)
W. D. Robb Student Assistant (July 15 to September 11, 1964) C. N. Swisher Student Assistant (July 10 to September 11, 1964) Monica P. Fitzsimons Stenographer 2 (June 1 to October 30, 1964) Evelyn K. Fogarty Clerk 2 (From February 15, 1965)
•• PUBLICATIONS
(January 1 to December 31, 1964)
Bursa, A. S. Kofoidinium arcticum, a new dinoflagellate. Phycologia, 4(1): 8-14.
Grainger, E. H. Asteroidea of the "Blue Dolphin" expeditions to Labrador. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 114(3478): 31-46.
North American sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from North Alaska to the Strait of Belle Isle. Folio 5, Serial Atlas of the Marine Environment. American Geographical Society.
Johnson, L. Marine-glacial relicts of the Canadian arctic islands. Systematic Zool., 13(2): 76-91.
The temperature regime of deep lakes. Science, r44(3624): 1336-1337.
McLaren, I. A. A list of vascular flora from the south coast of Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island. Canadian Field Naturalist, 78(2): 70-76.
Zooplankton of Lake Hazen, Ellesmere Island, and a nearby pond with special reference to the copepod Cyclops scutifer Sars. Canadian J. Zool., 42: 613-629.
McLaren, Ian. Marine life in arctic waters. Pages 93-97 in The unbelievable land. Ed. I. Norman Smith, Queen's Printer, Ottawa.
In Press
Bursa, A. S. Discoasteromonas calciferous n. sp. (Discoasteromonas n. gen., Discoasteromonadaceae n. fam.), an arctic relict secreting Discoaster Tan Sin Hok 1927. Grana Palynologica.
Johnson, L. A note on the salinity of Baker Lake, N.W.T. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada.
Manuscripts Submitted for Publication
Grainger, E. H. The sea stars (Echinodermata:-Asteroidea) of the North American arctic. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada.
Zooplankton from the Arctic Ocean and adjacent Canadian waters. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada. -2-
Manuscripts Submitted for Publication (Continued)
Johnson, L. On the growth, maintenance and food consumption of pike (Esox lucius L.). Fish. Res. Bd. Canada.
Sergeant, D. E. Exploitation and protection of harp and hood seals. Polar Record.
Migrations of harp seals Pagophilus groenlandicus (Erxleben) in the Northwest Atlantic. J. Fish, Res. Bd. Canada.
•/ INDEX TO SUMMARY REPORTS
APPENDIX Number Page
Arctic Char Fishery of,the Labrador Coast 1 1
Arctic Char, Nettilling Lake 2 9
Arctic Char, Frobisher Bay 3 11
Tree River Char 4 12
Marine Fisheries, M.V. Salvelinus, 1964 5 15
Great Bear Lake Survey 6 18
Nueltin and Baker Lakes, in April, 1964 7 22
Naxwhal Investigation 8 22
Grey Seal Tagging Experiments 9 26
Relative Importance of Seal Species as Vectors of Codworm (Porrocaecumidecipiens) in the Maritime Provinces 10 30
Capture-Recapture Marking of Harp Seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 11 35
Aerial Photographic Estimate of Young Seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Front in 1964 12 37
East Coast Whales 13 40
Attempts at Determining the Age of White Whales 14 42
Zooplankton of the ICNAF Greenland Environmental Survey 15 48
Ice-breaker Phytoplankton Collections 16 52
Octocorallia 17 52
M.V. Salvelinus Oceanographic Program, 1964 18 53
Phytoplankton 19 54
M.V. Calanus 20 58 No. 1
Arctic Char Fishery of the Labrador Coast
The arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, has a general arctic circumpolar distribution with southward penetrations in areas where conditions are favourable to survival. The Labrador coast is one area where this southerly distribution occurs and is a region where the species, known locally as "trout", figures prominently in the economy of the native people.
During the period 1942 to the present char have been marketed from this area in generally increasing numbers. Catch figures do not include domestic catches nor evaluate the semi- commercial approach to the domestic fishery, and in consequence do not reflect the abundance of char. Present market catches are at a high level and the fishery was'examined to determine whether this present rate of exploitation provides optimum yield.
The only previous published information on the char fishery of Labrador was that of Andrews and Lear (1956) in which they outlined the fishery and presented biological data on the stocks involved. Based upon this previous work a eurvey was begun in July and continued until early September 1964 in the Nain area.
Catches made by the Eskimos were measured, and sampled by experi- mental nets. These test gill nets of r1/2., 21/2-, 3, 4, and 51/2-inch mesh green nylon, 50 yards long by 6 feet deep, were set along the shore in a fashion similar to that of the Eskimo.
The Fishery
The history of the early fishery is not known but char have been important to the economy of the local people for a long -2-
time. The general habit of the Eskimo previous to and many years
after the arrival of the European to the Labrador was to move
from the headlands into the bays in late summer. Wives and families were left to fish and dry char while the men went inland
to hunt caribou. Records of the Moravian mission (Elton and
Ashburner, MS) also show that some winter fishing through the ice on the lakes was carried out. The advent of salt and brine preservation of char, now used almost exclusively in the com- mercial fishery, is of relatively recent origin to the Eskimo.
Eskimoeripreviously lived in small groups or single family units spread along the extent of the Labrador coast. Now they reside in selected settlements where the amenities of civilization are available. The northernmost such area is Nain and it is from this port that most char fishermen move out in early July to take up temporary summer residence at remote fishing locations from Voisey Bay north to Nachvak. Whereas fishing in earlier times took place close to rivers and was concentrated on migratory stocks, it is now removed to bays, coves and headlands away from the rivers and is dependent upon feeding fish which are available throughout the summer.
Fishing is by gill net, frequently hand knitted, of 4- and 4-inch mesh size. Nets are usually set at right angles from shore but often with a short right angle leg in the net set itself. Attendance of nets varies with the rate of catching but fish are removed at least daily unless weather conditions prevent fishing operations. Upon landing, fish are split, gutted, washed and packed in coarse salt in wooden barrels. When barrels are -3- filled they are capped and left for pick-up by a collector boat for delivery to Nain. This same boat also delivers supplies, additional barrels and salt to the fishing sites. In Nain the barrels of fish are unpacked and fish aie graded and sorted according to general condition and flesh colour and repacked in larger barrels in a heavy brine,pickling solution. The barrels of pickled fish are
subsequently shipped by coastal freighter to St. John's, Newfoundland for sale or auction.
Catch
Char caught on the Labrador coast are normally purchased by the Department of Northern Labrador Affairs and records for
these purchases for the years 1942 to 1964 inclusive are shown in
Table I.
Table I. Total marketed catch of arctic char from the Labrador coast in the years 1942-1964.
Year Pounds Year Pounds Year Pounds
1942 32,340 1950 98,560 1958 170,060 1943 nil. 1951 72,380 1959 149,600 1944 24,200 1952 185,020 1960 145,720 1945 - 56,540 1953 , 224,620 - 1961 202,003 1946 72,600 1954 160,160 1962 205,260 1947 142,340 1955 168,520 1963 217,910 1948 268,400 1956 99,000 1964 199,980 1949 99,000 1957 126,500 ,
The above table provides only a crude measure of abundance
of char since no account of fish used locally or sold elsewhere is
considered.
Incentive and catching effort applied to the char stocks
has varied so that differences of marketed volume between years
does not provide a complete index of either abundance or availability.
-4-
Catch per unit of fishing effort data is lacking but
information on pounds of fish sold per fisherman for the years
1961 and 1962 when total pounds marketed were uniformly high are
shown in Table II.
Table II. Arctic char market catch from northern Labrador by area and fishermen for the years 1961 and 1962.
1961 1962 Catch per Catch per Area Pounds Fishermen fisherman Pounds Fishermen fisherman (lb) (lb)
Nachvak 41,136 9 4571 33,660 7 4809 Ramah 8,560 3 2853 Saglek 48,980 10 4898 62,920 22 2860 Hebron 20,604 5 4121 35,860 12 2988 Napartok 5,930 2 2965 Tessiujak 9,093 2 4546 4,840 2 2420 Okak 52,706 9 5856 52,580 11 • 4780 Nain 14,994 11 1363 15,400 12 1283 Combined 202,003 51 3961 205,260 66 3110
Market catches for two locations, Ramah and Napartok,
have been combined with other locations for the year 1962 but total
market catch and numbers of fishermen have been appropriately
recorded. While total market catch for separate areas has varied
between years it has varied so that fewer fishermen marketed more
fish per fisherman.
Similarly market catches from the combined areas show a
higher ratio of catch when numbers of fishermen are less. Although
such limited data do not provide conclusive results they suggest
utilization to be at a high level and that only minor increases in
total catch would require a considerably greater expenditure of
effort.
Average marketed catch for the two years 1961 and 1962 from -5- the Nachvak area was 37,398 pounds with an increase occurring in catch per fisherman in 1962 when both the total catch and numbers of fishermen were less. The catch of char in the Nachvak area by the schooner Patriot in the years 1947 to 1950 (Andrews and Lear,
1956) show an average catch of 72,600 pounds for the first two years of fishing. This is approximately double the average catch for the years 1961 and 1962. Under these conditions catch per unit of effort decreased in the two-year period by about 30%. Subsequent catches in the succeeding two years when catches were less showed a continuing and large decline in catch per unit of effort. The high catches of the first and second year were obviously in excess of the productive capacity of the char population and the optimum catch for sustainable yield lies somewhere between 37.4 thousand and 72.6 thousand pound total. The measurable changes in catch per fisherman occurring in the years 1961 and 1962, when only a modest change in effort occurred, and the excessive changes in catch per unit of effort in the 1947 to 1950 fishery indicate the optimum sustainable yield is probably close to the levels of catch made in the recent 1961 and 1962 fishery.
Length frequencies
Fork length measurements of char examined at different locations and from different mesh size gill nets are grouped at
5 am intervals in Table III.
The sample of char taken from the 4-inch mesh nets at Zoar
Bay were part of the commercial catch and represent the frequency of sizes occurring in the commercial fishery for that area. These fish compare favourably in size range and mean length with char
Table III. Length frequency of arctic char catch by different gill nets in different areas of the central Labrador coast, July-August 1964. Standard deviations have been calculated from the actual frequencies.
Area Zoar Bay Nain Black Islands Okak
Mesh 24 4 24
Length group % cm 20.0-24.9 1 20 25.0-29.9 3 10 4 6 30.0-34.9 24 21 29 1 5 35.0-39.9 26 6 29 18 40 46 40.0-44.9 21 6 6 29 32 12 33 11 10 15 45.0-49.9 15 19 33 25 29 18 5 5 44 20 ' 50.0-54.9 8 31 34 33 5 2 8 28 25 1 55.0-59.9 3 19 21 25 14 5 2 20, 25 60.0-64.9 1 6 7 8 1 11, 5 65.0-69.9 12 8 70.0-74.9 5
Total fish 110 16 101 12 7 38 93 76 18 5 20
Mean length cm 40.5 53.4 52.0 54.6 44.6 41.7 37.0 40.5 48.9 41.5 51.7
Standard deviation 7.391 8.209 9.050 6.200 6.986 5.167 6.232 6.169 7.632 12.449 8.626
-7-
sizes at Adlatok and Nain reported by Andrews and Lear (1956).
Few large char were taken by any of the nets employed in
either of the tuu periods of investigation.
Age/length relationship
Mean fork lengths for each age group in samples caught in
2%-inch and 4-inch mesh gill nets at Zoar Bay are shown in Table IV.
Table IV. Age-length relationship of arctic char caught in gill nets at Zoar Bay, Labrador, July, 1964. Figures in brackets indicate the numbers of fish in each year class.
Zoar Bay
Mean Length Age 2" mesh 4" mesh years cm cm
4 32.2 (1) 5 29.0 (2) 6 37.2 (15) 48.8 (1) 7 41.7 (31) 48.9 (22) 8 44.8 (21) 51.1 (24) 9 49.0 (9) 53.1 (20) 10 51.0 (3) 55.4 (10) 11 55.5 (3) 58.5 (2) 12 13 57.2 (1) 60.9 (1) 14 64.4 (1) Total 87 80
Selection for faster-growing fish by 4-inch mesh nets is
apparent but few char over 10 years old and 56 cm fork length were
caught by either net. Andrews and Lear (1956) showed a general
decrease in growth rate with increase in latitude. Zoar Bay is
approximately 30 miles south of Nain and age and length measure-
ments reported here compare with those reported from the Nain area
by Andrews and Lear. The growth rate in the early years of the char
fishery from this area is much faster than in later years and large -8-
sized char are uncommon. Samples show the majority of fish captured by the commercial fishery to be caught in the seventh to tenth year of life with maximum numbers being taken in the eighth and ninth year.
Discussion and conclusion
Little' is known of the variations in reproductive success and survival of the early age classes of arctic char. However, it is assumed that in 'the long period before they enter the fishery a natural balance of any high or low year class production occurs so that a relatively constant recruitment takes place in the fishery each year.
The môderate fluctuations in the market catch which are in response to factors other than char abundance alone do not suggest an excessive rate of exploitation at present.
Catch per fisherman is of limited reliability but in the years 1961 and 1962 when char catches were high and incentive seemingly the same the catch per fisherman declined with an increase in numbers of fishermen. The sensitive response of catch per fisher- man and total fishermen is increased by the manner in which fishermen employ this gear. Gill nets are almost invariably set out from the shore-line so that only that portion of the fish population frequenting inshore areas reflects the changing catch rate. This index suggests that any increase in total catch would require a considerable increase in effort.
Direct comparison between average age and size of char caught in Zoar Bay in 1964 in a 4-inch mesh gill net with those caught in Nain in 1953 in a 41/2-inch mesh gill net is unjustified. -9-
?.d However length and age data show the principal catch is taken from
four age classes and that failure to catch the fish at these ages
means they will be lost to the industry. Indications are that the
fishery is presently producing an optimum yield and return per unit
of fishing effort'throughout most of the Labrador char fishery.
Some increase in yield appears possible in the area south of Nain
where catch is low but no major increase in yield for the coast is is possible without seriously affecting the economical returns from
the fishery.
References
Andrews C. W. and E. Lear. 1956. The biology of the arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus. L.) in northern Labrador. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada, 13(6): 843-860.
Elton, C. and P. Ashburner. Extracts from the Periodical Accounts, Moravian Mission Diaries, Ships' Logs, and Reichel Reports, 1790-1917. Unpublished manuscript, on microfilm in Stefansson Collection, Hanover, New Hampshire.
J. G. Hunter
r - No. 2 en Arctic Char, Nettilling Lake
A joint survey . with the Department of Northern Affairs
Ling and National Resources on the arctic char potential of Nettilling
Lake was carried out during the summer. Work was handicapped by a
Lse very late open-water season, frequent winds and drifting ice,
transportation, communications and personnel problems. Personnel
Changes which occurred during the summer reduced the number of
parties . from 5 to 4 and restricted the coverage envisioned.
Resuits, despite all problems, defined the summer fish -10-
stocks "%irly adequately. Char of fishable size avoided the open
area of the lake and were found to be most concentrated at its north
and south extremes. Their size was relatively small with the most
frequent and greatest poundage of fish being caught in a 31/2-inch
mesh size of gill net. Very few char over 55.0 cm in length were
caught. The sample taken also showed that few large char were
maturing to spawn in the fall, indicating either that a biased
sample had been taken or that few anadromous char occur in the -J
system or that sea-run fish do not reach a large size there.
Catch figures from the southeastern portion of the lake
in the Camsell Bay area indicated local resident char stocks which
could readily be fished out.
Fishing was conducted largely with 31/2-, 41/2- and 51/2-inch mesh gill nets which together yielded an average catch of 9.0 kg per unit of effort. Elphyllobothrium incidence in excess of 15 cysts per- fish was found in-40% of the catch. Considering these fish unsuitable for- commercial use the effective catch per unit of effort was reduced to 5.4 kg. The size range of the char caught included many fish too small for commercial purposes thus still further lowering the effective catch per unit of effort to 3.8 kg.
The anadromous - run of char entered the lake on September
5 and insufficient time was available before-departure from the lake to sample it. However, should this large lake have a run of even modest numbers of char per square mile, a large population of fish would be available for commercial use. The Department of Northern
Affairs and National Resources plans to return to Nettilling Lake in 1965 to experimentally fish this anadromous stock.
J. G. Hunter
r-11-
No. 3
Arctic Char, Frobisher Bay
The commercial fishery of Frobisher Bay has been restricted
to a 10,000 lb catch quota since its inception in 1958. In addition
to this fishery, char have been taken with no quota limits by a
subsistence fishery and a sports fishery. It is difficult to get
precise information on the size of catch of the two latter fisheries.
Estimates made in 1958 and 1959 placed their total catch at about
15,000 pounds. A similar estimate made in 1964 after the U.S.A.F.
had vacated the region indicated a sports fishery catch of only 7000
pounds while the subsistence catch increased to 25,000 pounds. The
increase in subsistence fishery catch is a result partly of an
increased native population living in Frobisher Bay.
A summary of catch statistics from the commercial fishery
is shown in Table V.
Table V. Summary of catch statistics for arctic char caught in 41/2-inch mesh gill net at Frobisher Bay.
Year 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 Numbers 3,507 2,140 1,618 1,350 1,567 1,302 Total weight 21,613 12,195 10,304 10,336 10,487 8,430 Mean weight 6.2 5.7 6.4 7.7 6.7 6.5 Units of effort* 102 76 62 108 150 120 Catch (numbers) pei unit of effort 34.4 28.2 26.1 12.5 10.4 10.9 Catch (weight) per unit of effort 211.9 160.5 166.2 95.6 69.9 70.2 Mean age of catch 15.4 17.3 16.9 16.0 Mean length of catch 59.9 66.4 66.9 61.7 % males 50.3 59.3 58.3 52.2
* One unit of effort consists of one 41/2r-mesh gill net 50 yards long by 6 feet deep fishing for 12 hours. -12-
The combined effect of the three types of fisheries has been
an estimated annual catch of 42,000 pounds which has depressed the
catch per unit of effort to one third of its initial level. Average
age and length during this period o2 time have remained approximately
the same suggesting the fishery has progressed largely at the expense of the accumulated stock.
J. G. Hunter
No , 4
Tree River Char
The Tree River arises in Inulik Lake and flaws northward for over a distance of 100 miles to empty into Cbronation Gulf at a point 85 miles east of Coppermine, N.W.T. A falls about 20 feet high occurs about 8 miles upstream- from the mouth of the river. Throughout this 8-mile extent of watercourse the width varies between 75 and 100 feet to provide a water area of 400,000 square yards.
Arctic char is the principal species of fish found in the river below the falls. Because of its life-history pattern of remaining in fresh water throughout the summer of a year in which it has maturing gonads, it is readily available to any fishery. In recent years both a net and sport fisheiy have exploited this single population. During the summer of 1964 the Department (4 Fisheries had two officers, Messrs D. H. Dowler and K. G. Roberts, observing the progress of these fisheries. Catch statistics recorded show the relative use made of the resource.
Arctic char catch by different fisheries for the period
June 30 to September 30, 1964: -13-
Eskimo subsistence fishery ) 33,000 lb R.C.M.P. fishery 4,866 Amgling fishery 17,850 Total 55,716 lb
Y During the period June 30 to September 3, 1964, a total
of 753 anglers caught 1892 char for an average angling success of
3.65 fish per fisherman; at a rate of catch of 0.47 fish per hour.
Not all char were kept by the sportsmen and 738 of the total were
released, while the remainder were either given to the Eskimos or
used in camp. Only 858 char weighing 9735 lb were kept. These
fish had an average weight of 11.35 lb, while 439 of them exceeded
10 lb. Estimates of mortality among released fish ranged as high as
60%.
The Eskimo fishery is conducted with 50 ft X 6 ft gill 111 nets ranging in mesh size from 31/2- to 51/2-inch mesh. Effort varied ut depending upon a number of factors but reports by the Eskimo
fishermen indicate the catch per unit in 1964 to be less than in
1963. Fishing by Eskimos may occur at any time during the year,
but the principal catch is taken in the period from May to September.
In Figure 1 the ages of a sample of fish collected by
officers of the Department of Fisheries are shown in the form of a
growth curve and compared with the growth rate of char from
Frobisher Bay.
Much has yet to be learned about productivity of arctic
waters. A working hypothesis of annual fish yield of 0.5 lb per
acre has proved reasonable for most northern and shield area lakes.
Greater yields are probable but are expected to be no greater
than double or triple the present estimate. Catches in the Tree 4o • • 35 • e 30 • 0 o 0 Ite 0 0 0 0 , • 6 0 0 1 5« 0 0 • 0 lj 0 0 Tree River 0 Sylvia Grinnell River 0 0 r' 0 0 0 I 1 1 j I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Age ears) Pfl.V • • Age-length relationship of arctic char. -15- -
River during the past three years indicate an abundance of fish such
that an annual production of 10,000 to 15,000 lb appears possible.
This production takes place within a "home" water area of 80 acres
suggesting a rate of production of 125 to 185 lb per acre.
The fast rate of growth shown by Tree River char undoubtedly
adds to the productive rate of char in the system but no comparison
of fish productivity between the Tree River and arctic lakes is
possible.
J. G. Hunter
No. 5
Marine Fisheries, M.V. Salvelinus, 1964
Preparations for launching the M.V. Salvelinus from its
winter shore-based storage were started on June 27 but below-normal
temperatures, heavy ice cover and complete absence of open ;rater
prevented launching until July 21. Breakup occurred on August 16,
a full month later than normal for the area and the vessel departed
Cape Parry for Cambridge Bay. Delay en route resulted from heavy
ice in Amundsen Gulf, storias in Coronation Gulf and closely packed
ice in Dease Strait. Cambridge Bay was reached on August 25 and
haul-out here was completed on September 14.
Cape Parry
While at Cape Parry several activities were carried out
from the ice surface. Hydrographic data consisting of temperature
and salinity measurements were recorded on July 5, 10, 25, 29, 31
and August 4, 7, 14. Zooplankton samples were taken at the same -16-
times. Phytoplankton samples were collected from the underside of
the sea ice on July 1 and 10.
Three Murre colony nesting sites were visited and only
one at Police Point was inhabited where a total of 67 nests was
found.
Greenland cod, Gadus ogaq, were fished with jigs and gill
nets through the ice. The catch per unit of effort for fishing with
jigs is shown in Table VI.
Table VI. Catch of Greenland cod per man hour of jigging at Cape Parry, June 29-July 29, 1964.
Date Catch per man hour
June 29 1.3 July 4 10 July 9 60 July 10 46 July 19 46 July 23 0 July 25 0 July 29 0 Aug. 10 29
Successful catches occurred at times when high-wind-
driven tides occurred in the bay.
Eskimos reported several hundred cod taken at offshore 1 Booth Island during the first week of April. These fish were ready
to spawn and many of them were "running" when brought out of the water. Catches in Cape Parry in June and July were composed of fish with flaccid gonads and which obviously had spawned only
recently.
Gill nets were fished from July-29 to August 8 but catches were very few. A total of 133 G. ogac were examined and sampled and 83 specimens Y.7ere preserved and shipped to the Station for life-history studies.
Cambridge Bay
Fishing operations in Cambridge Bay started on August 26 but had to be discontinued until August 28, because of ice conditions-- after this date fishing with gill nets, long lines and hand lines was carried out in the harbour at Cambridge Bay, and trawling was attempted in the Dease Strait area. Bottom type suitable for trawl fishing was found to be very scarce through the portion of Cbronation Gulf traversed and within Cambridge Bay, but one partially successful haul indicated a benthic fauna similar to that found in the Cape
Parry region. Identification of species is still incomplete.
Salinity and zooplankton samples were collected and water temperatures were recorded from all fishing locations.
Three species of cod, G. ogac, Arctogadus glacialis, and
A. borosovi were found to be numerous in Cambridge Bay and could be readily taken by gill net, long line and hand line.
- Overlap in vertical distribution of the three species of cod was found but G. ogac was most common in the 0- to 17-metre o o level where temperatures ranged from 4 016 C to -0.10 C and corres- ponding salinity values were 20.7°,loo to 29.00/00. A. glacialis and A. borosovi occurred together generally in close association with the bottom between the 17- and 40-metre level where temperatures, decreasing with depth, were from -0.18°C to -1.38°C and corresponding salinities were from 28.87 °/oo up to 29.2eloo. -18-
Gonads of -G. ogac showed recovery from a spring spawning as was found in Cape Parry specimens while A. glacialis and A.
borosovi had maturing gonads with eggs 1.0 mm in diameter.
A life-history study of G. ogac, presently in preparation
as an M.Sc. thesis, shows this species to depend almost
exclusively upon strong year classes. Samples from Cape Parry for
a three-year period show a continuing and almost complete dominance
of a single year class. A similar dominance, four years out of phase with the Cape Parry population, has also been found for G. ogac at Cambridge Bay.
Marine fish studies were severely curtailed by the heavy ice conditions prevalent throughout most of the summer.
However, information gathered from fishing, echo sounder and asdic traces and local reports indicate that no concentrations of fish beyond bays, harbours and selected areas are likely to be found.
In view of the restricted area occupied and dependence on occasional successful year classes, production of marine fish from the Coronation Gulf area is probably limited to a small order.
I. G. Gidney
No. 6
Great Bear Lake Survey
The second year of the limnological and fisheries survey on Great Bear Lake started on July 12, 1964. As in the previous year the survey was conducted from the M.V. Radium Gilbert, Captain
A. McInnes, chartered from the Northern Transportation Company of
Edmonton. The operation was based on Port Radium and from here -19-
three main cruises were carried out, each of two to three weeks'
duration. The first one was to the two northern arms, Smith and
Dease, the second one to Keith and McVicar the two most southerly
arms and the third one was a repeat visit to some of the northern
parts of the lake..
To a considerable extent the two northern arms, which
were visited for the first time in 1964, were similar in character
' to the rest of the lake. Smith Arm has a maximum depth of 117 m
at its mouth and the mean depth is approximately 55 m. That part
of the arm west of Crossways Island appears to be closed to naviga-
tion - for vessels the size of the Radium Gilbert on account of reefs
and shoals within a few feet of the surface. Dease Arm is notable
on account of the tremendous number of islands scattered along the
southeastern shore, the Narakay group in particular being magnifi-
cent in their scenery. To a great extent deep water channels exist
between the islands although unexpected shoals do occur even in that
part of the arm free from above-surface projections. The maximum
depth is 90 m and the mean depth is approximately 50 m.
Lake trout were found to be universally distributed and
few nets were set which failed to capture at least one fish. One
net was set in water of 201 m at a point 18 miles from the nearest
land. This net yielded one small trout, but coupled with the
observations of the previous year when trout were taken at a
depth of 410 m in the deepest part of the lake, it seems reasonable
to conclude that trout occupy the whole of the lake bottom. The
returns on the gill-netting program are given in Table VII.
Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) were only taken on one occasion -20-
Table VII . Fishing returns for Great Bear Lake, 1964.
Total Number Units of Mean Catch per Mesh size Species catch caught effort* wt unit effort* in kg kg kg
41/2 Trout 841 221 78 3.8 10.8 41/2 Whitefish 234 122 78 1.9 3.0 51/2 Trout 806 182 78 4.4 10.3 51/2 Whitefish 141 61 78 2.3 1.8 Combined Whitefish total and Trout 2022 586 156 13.0
* One unit of effort represents 50 yards of net fishing for 12 hours.
in the main body of the lake, but were fairly numerous in the more
sheltered bays, and in one or two small areas they were taken in
considerable numbers. Apart from trout and whitefish the only
other species taken in the gill nets were pickerel (Stizostedion vitreum) and pike (Esox lucius). Sculpins (e_y_oxsphalus quadricornis
(thompsoni)) also appear to be universal on the bottom, having been obtained in trawls down to 200 m and also occurring in stomach con-
tents of lake trout from maximum depths.
Some attention was paid to the temperature structure of the lake. It was generally colder in 1964 than in the preceding year. In the deepest part of the lake (Bears Bottom), the maximum surface temperature, recorded on August 27, was 5.2°C in contrast to 6.9°C on the same date the previous year. Temperatures taken at this location have been found to have considerable interest in the determination of the temperature of the maximum density of water with increasing pressure. The observations in 1964 bear out theoretical values with a remarkable degree of agreement. Temperatures on the surface in the northern arms at the end of August were 3.9°C for Smith and 5.8°C for Dease. By way of contrast the temperatures .• .,
-21-21-
o in McVirar Arm increased from 8.96 C at the surface and 6.18oC at
35 m in thc most northern part, to 13.35°C on the surface and 11.2°C
at 19 m in the centre of the most southerly bay.
Oxygen determinations were made at selected localities
particularly in the deep water to try and elucidate the mechanism
of turnover. In the deep water stagnation appears to be the con-
dition throughout the summer and possibly winter too, due to stability .1 arising from changes in density due to pressure. However there is
no lack of oxygen resulting from this stagnation. Values at the sur-
face were 110% of saturation and 100% at 400 m on July 22 and 108%
on the surface and 104% at 400 m on August 27. This change, if it
is real, indicates a turnover of the bottom waters; but below 200 m
the temperatures are almost constant over the period in question. - Fifty bottom samples were taken by means of a small trawl
varying in depth from 2 to 100 m. All trawls yielded animals, Liy_s12 .
and Pontoporeia affinis being of the most regular occurrence. relicta
Only one animal, a hydra, possibly Hydra baueri, can be described as
being exclusively a deep-water organism as it was only found beteeen
80 and 100 m. Several invertebrate species occur locally in the
warm shallow bays of McVicar Arm which have not been found elsewhere
in the lake. Pickerel too, are only found at the southern end of
this arm.
Chlorophyll and Carbon-14 determinations were made to “ investigate primary productivity along with standard plankton hauls, 7 es but the results are still in the process , of being analysed.
L. Johnson 2.1. 11
-22-
No. 7
Nueltin and Baker Lakes, in April, 1964
In April, 1964, a visit to the winter fisheries on Nueltin
and Baker Lakes was made, in order to observe methods and to make
observations. On Nueltin Lake most activity was directed to
putting up ice for the summer. A certain amount of fishing was being carried out but catches were low and conditions very difficult.
On Baker Lake the Eskimofisherywas likewise at a low ebb and such fishing as was being done was through eight feet of ice.
Observations made at Baker Lake showed the presence of a
slightly saline layer on the bottom, indicating that under certain conditions the sea has access to the lake. The chloride content of the lake was found to be 50 parts per million at 25 m and 342 ppm at 60 m. The sea water on the occasion of sampling was therefore extremely dilute but the proportion of other constituents clearly indicated a marine origin.
L. Johnson
No , 8
Narwhal Investigation
This seasonts work extended the investigation begun at
Pond Inlet in 1963.
On July 24 A. W. Mansfield, B. Beck and D. Robb left
Resolute by chartered Beaver aircraft for Koluktoo Bay in southern
Milne Inlet, northern Baffin Island (Fig. 2). A suitable landing ground had been prepared the previous season on raised beaches north of the mouth of the Robertson River in western Koluktoo Bay, and -23-
BYLOT in ISLAND
co
L BAFFIN ISLAND
J
Robertson River
pm
••* 300M ZOOM 100M
Scale
Nautical Miles
— Net locations
4+ Airstrip
th Fig. 2 Map to show location of narwhal netting operation. -24-
another short airstrip was marked out two miles west of the settlement
at Pond Inlet. With these facilities supplies of gas, food and
equipment were air-lifted from Pond Inlet to Koluktoo Bay and there
transferred by canoe to the summer camping site some four miles to
the east of the landing ground.
Milne Inlet was mostly clear of ice on July 26, but tongues
of loose pack ice sweeping past the favoured netting locality at
Bruce Head prevented the whale nets being set. By August 3, four
double nets, each 100 yards long, had been set in various localities
in the bay but narwhal were not sighted until August 8. Then we
received information from R. Sheardown, the pilot for Baffin Iron
Mines Ltd., that a few whales had been seen in Milne Inlet.
The following day the two first narwhals of the season
were caught in the net at Bruce Head. From then until August 26
1 the netting program was beset with many difficulties. On two
occasions nets were stripped from their float lines by ice, and
smaller damage occurred frequently. An attempt was made to maintain
constant watch on the net at Bruce Head, but the quantity of drift
ice meant that the canoe was used almost continuously in towing
ice floes away from the net. Eventually nets were lifted whenever
ice menaced and this resulted in a total of 65 net-days for the
season.
In all 18 specimens were taken. Many more narwhals were
netted but the nets had deteriorated since the previous year and
extensive damage and loss of whales resulted.
The greater proportion of specimens were adult females and
their calves, and only 2 males of any size were taken. Most animals -25- were weighed, the largest being a 3400 pound adult male with external tusk length of 6 feet, 4 inches. All animals were fat and in excellent condition, but only a few squid beaks and otoliths of polar cod were found in the stomachs examined. Evidently no feeding occurs in Koluktoo Bay in spite of large runs of anadromous arctic char from the Robertson River. Thus the reason for the summer migration of the whales into the fiords is still unknown, though observationson behaviour suggest that mating may occur at this time.
Narwhals are gregarious, usually travelling in groups or pods of up to 10 animals. On several occasions herds of between one and two hundred whales were seen in the bay close to camp, and on one spectacular occasion a herd estimated to contain at least
2000 narwhals of all sizes was seen to pass Bruce Head.
On August 16 Constable R. Boughen R.C.M.P. and his special
Constable Kayak visited the camp aboard the Polar Star and Bylot.
These two vessels were used to ship to the settlement a load of char, and meat and blubber from three of the whales. On August 26
Polar Star returned to our camp and Kayak and his crew were able to take the meat from a further seven whales which we had processed.
We finished netting on August 26 and moved camp to the airstrip the following day to await arrival of Atlas Aviation's
Beaver. Equipment and supplies were cached at both places to await our arrival next year for a further season's effort on the narwhal.
Body measurements
Most narwhals examined were measured in detail, and organs -26-
were weighed when possible. In Figure 3 total body weight (less
blood) is recorded against the standard body length, the line of
best fit having the formula:
Log W = 2.3692 log L - 3.2511 (kg and cm)
or Log W = 2.3692 log L 1.9485 (lb and in)
A. W. Mansfield
No. 9 grez its
We have now accumulated sufficient returns from tagging
experiments to show that young grey seals Halichoerus 2,F2ElLs actively disperse over a wide area from their place of birth, a behaviour pattern characteristic of young grey seals born at colonies in the
British Isles. Figure 4 illustrates recoveries from seals tagged at Amet Island, Northumberland Strait, in 1951, and from Michaud
Point, southeast Cape Breton Island,and Sable Island in 1963 and
1964. Recorded also in the figure are those grey seal pups taken by bounty hunters in Newfoundland and Labrador in the years 1951-1956 and 1960. It is assumed that these animals have also dispersed from the colonies east of Nova Scotia and in the southern Gulf of St.
Lawrence since no breeding groups have been found in Newfoundland and Labrador waters.
The tag recovered at Miquelon (France) is of interest.
On March 23, 1950, while engaged in an aerial survey of harp seals,
H. D. Fisher flew over the island and saw a group of about 200 seals on a sandbar in the Grand Barachois. Since their identity was by no means certain, we arranged to visit the island again in a -27-
(CM) (50 200 250 300 400 500 600 5000 t I s I I It 7 2000 4000 -I- uloo 1600
3000 -1 H $400 4. $200
- 1000
d 2000 1 - 900 - 800 - 700 1500 -4 M••• 600
500
100 0 •Mmil iely 900 H 400 800 •■•I 700 H 300
Lii •••••I 600 3
500 >- H 0 200 m- o co 4 00 -F
o H 150 956 300 -I.
OM
H I 0 0 200 1
( L B ) ( K G)
I 0 0 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 40 50 60 7 0 8 0 90 100 150 200 (IN)
BODY LENGTH
Fig. 3 . Comparison of weight with body length in the narwhal_ -29- later breeding season. Several flights were made over the island fyam January 26 to February 7, 1962, but no breeding seals were seen. However flights later in the year have confirmed that grey seals visit the Grand Barachois. For these observations we are grateful to Mr. A. -R. Farmer, pilot of "Air St. Pierre", Sdney
Airport, N.S., who took oblique aerial photographs of seals hauled out on the sandbars. ..- In 1964 Luhman Import and Export Co. Ltd. of Carbonear,
Newfoundland, carried out a sealing operation at Miquelon during July and August. A total of 300 grey seals was taken, comprising 120 young of the year, 20 immatures, 60 adult females and 100 adult males. At one time during the summer it was estimated that there were between 1000 and 1500 grey seals in the Grand Barachois
(H. R. Bradley, Area Director, Department of Fisheries, St. John's,
Newfoundland, in litt.). The tag previously mentioned was returned from one of the young seals in the catch. Considering the fact that 120 were taken, it is perhaps surprising that no more tags were found, since altogether 440 pups were tagged at Michaud Point and Sable Island in 1963. If we are correct in assuming that no breeding colony exists in the Newfoundland area, then we must also assume that most of the young seals at Miquelon come from breeding colonies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At present the status of grey seals in the Gulf is uncertain (see Annual Report, Arctic
Biological Station, 1963-64) and a recently completed aerial survey in the area has contributed nothing further to knowledge of their distribution.
A. W. Mansfield -30-
No. 10
Relative Importance of Seal S ecies as Vectors of Codworm (Porrocaecum decipiens) in the Maritime Provinces
The following calculations are based on new revised
estimates of seal populations in the Maritime Provinces, together
with data extracted from D. M. Scott and H. D. Fisher's paper on
the incidence of Porrocaecum decipiens in the stomachs of three
species of seals along the southern Canadian Atlantic mainland
(J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada, 15(4): 495-516, 1958).
Since the relative abundance of seals changes markedly
in certain areas, it has been found best to base the calculations
on the following subdivisions:
(1) Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (2) Halifax to Cape North (Eastern Shore) (3) Halifax to Yarmouth (Western Shore) (4) Bay of Fundy (5) Sable Island
Population estimates
The total population of harbour seals Phoca vitulina at the
present time is estimated to be between 5000 and 10,000. These
estimates are based on consideration of life tables of this and
closely related phocid species, together with the marked reduction
in bounty kills over the past fifteen years. These catches appear
to have reached a steady minimum now, which probably implies a
balanced population. By applying various hunting mortalities to the
life tables, and knowing the actual take of pups and adults, approxi- mate upper and lower limits may be set to the total population.
In the following table, populations of harbour seals in the various subdivisions have been apportioned according to the distribution
of bounty returns. An average total population of 7500, excluding seals from Sable Island, has been assumed.
Per cent of Area total population Number
1 15 1100 2' 28 2100 3 28 2100 4 29 2200 100 7500
In addition, about 500 harbour seals are known to live on Sable Island in the summer months.
The present population of grey seals Halichoerus grypus in
the southern Gulf is not known well but is believed to be about 1000.
In addition there are some 800 at Michaud Point, southeast Cape
Breton Island, and 1200 at Sable Island.
The population-of adult and immature harp seals Pagophilus
groenlandicus in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is believed to lie between
600,000 and 750,000, giving a mean of 675,000. All the immatures
would in the mean represent half of the above or 337,500. However,
some of the immatures may remain in the arctic, probably in West
Greenland. Assuming half of the immatures are present in the Gulf
for the same period as the adults, we have a best estimate of
506,250, which we may round to 500,000.
Harp seals entering and leaving the Gulf are virtually
free of codworm (see Scott and Fisher, Table IX). The seals enter
the Gulf in early January and depart in early June. Assuming 4
months are spent in the Gulf, the harp seal is infective for 4112
of the year. This assumption would be invalidated if the percentage
C:1 of adult worms to total worms in harp seals was much lower than in -32-
grey ancl harbour seals, but inspection of Tables I, V and IX in
Scott and Fisher show that it is just as high. Therefore it must be assumed that harp seals produce adult worms and eggs just as
effectively as the other seal species while they are in the Gulf.
Importance of the seals as vectors of the parasite, area by area
le Southern Gulf, including the Magdalen Islands but excluding Anticosti Island.
Mean no. Total Relative No , of of worms contribution importance of seals per seal of worms seal as vector
Harbour 1,000 65 65,000 3.8 Grey 1,000 271 271,000 15.8 Harp 500,000 8.25 1,375,000* 80.4
* Adjusted for 4 months presence only
2. Halifax to Cape North.
Harbour seals are widely spread, whilst grey seals concentrate at Michaud Point with some dispersal along the coast.
Thus the grey seals might be more important in eastern Cape Breton
Island with harbour seals becoming more important towards Halifax where the bounty returns for this species are largest. However the figures given are for the average importance only.
Mean no. Total Relative No , of of worms contribution importance of seals per seal of worms seal as vector
Harbour 2,100 52 109,200 46 Grey 800 159 127,200 54
At Bras deOr Lakes, Scott and Fisher (pp. 497-498) state that possibly several hundred grey seals enter the lakes in November and leave in January. They also state that in early winter harbour seals enter the lakes and remain till early spring, but they do not estimate the numbers present.
If we assume both species present in equal numbers, grey seals will be the more important vectors since the mean numbers of wo ms per seal are 2896 for grey seals and 349 for harbour seals; that is a relative importance of 83% and 17% respectively.
3. Halifax to Yarmouth
Bounty returns show principally harbour seals present with a very few migrant grey seals. There are no known breeding colonies of grey seals along this coast. The number of harbour seals is estimated at 2100. As only one stomach was collected, containing 634 worms, the mean number of worms in seals at any one time cannot be estimated reliably.
4. Bay of Fundy
There are mostly harbour seals in this area, with a few grey seals visiting Grand Manan in the summer and fall.
Mean no. Total No , of of worms contribution seals per eeal of worms
Harbour 2,200 47 103,400
5. Sable Island
There are approximately 1200 grey seals and 500 harbour seals here. Although the number of stomachs examined was only 2 from harbour seals and 3 from grey seals, we may calculate the relative importance of the species as u -34-
Mean no. Total No. of of worms contribution Relative seals per seal of worms importance
Harbour 500 11 55,000 18 Grey 1,200 83 246,000 82
The relative importance of the three species of seals as
vectors of the parasite is summarised in the following table, which
covers the whole of the Maritime Provinces:
Relative importance of seal as vector Harbour Grey Harp
Southern Gulf 3.8 15.8 80.4 Halifax to Cape North 46.0 54.0 -- Bras dtor Lakes 17.0 83.0 -- Halifax to Yarmouth * -- -- Bay of Fundy 100 ** Sable Island 18.0 82.0 -I-
* One specimen only ** Small numbers of grey seals occur about Grand Manan in the summer but no specimens have been collected.
Conclusions
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the harp seal appears to be
the most important vector of codworm, the grey seal next but only one
fifth as important. The poorest parameter in this equation is the
mean rate of infestation of harp seals since the number of available
stomachs of harp seals in.January and February, the first half of
the species 9 sojourn in the Gulf, is only four. This parameter
can only be improved by a special attempt to catch harp seals during
January and February when they are believed to be feeding in open water just south of the ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Their distribution may conceivably also extend through Cabot Strait, in which case they would have some effect, probably slight, on the equation for Area 2, Halifax to Cape North. In eastern Cape Breton -35-
Island, including the Bras dtOr Lakes, and on Sable Island, the grey
seal is cc .l.siderably more important than the harbour seal as a vector.
In the rest of the Maritimes, the harbour seal at present is the only
vector.
A. W. Mansfield
D. E. Sergeant
No , 11
Capture-Recapture Marking of Harp Seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Between March 1 and 11, 1964, 2844 young harp seals were marked in two breeding groups located immediately south and some 30
miles north of the Magdalen Islands. Commercial sealing began on
March 5, with some landsments catching from March 1. Recoveries by
ships, aircraft and landsmen provide estimates of pup production
and intensity of sealing in these breeding groups. Statistics
separate catches by ships on the one hand from those of aircraft
and landsmen together.
(1) Ships' catches of young harp seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1964 totalled 42,256.
Shipst recoveries of tagged seals in the Gulf in 1964 totalled 780. 2844 Total production 42,256 x —7gu = 154,072
(2) Catches by aircraft and landsmen of young seals landed at the Magdalen Islands in 1964 totalled 36,989.
Tagged seals recovered by landsmen and sealers operating from aircraft in the Gulf in 1964 totalled 876. 2844 Total production = 36,989 x-07, - 120,086
These estimates differ appreciably. Since unreturned tags -36-
increas,n the estimate, it is important to know the completeness of
returns. In early-1965, a fea unreturned tags have been discovered,
held by both ships 9 crews and landsmen. Both estimates must there-
fore be lowered a little, but the discrepancy between them remains.
Other possible sources of error must therefore be looked for.
Returns by individual ships vary greatly, from 0.02 to
5.71% of catches. Evidently, ships which moved into the main areas of tagging caught a high percentage, while ships catching on the fringe of the tagging areas caught few or no tags. (Some tags were picked up by ships after the patches of young seals had dispersed.)
Returns by landsmen and sealers operating from aircraft, on the other hand, were much better dispersed, as was shown by much less "clumping" of recoveries from individual returns. Most recoveries of this class came from sealers operAting from aircraft, and aircraft were not only more numerous than ships, but flew out daily thus changing their position of recaptures -daily. It is therefore considered that landsmen-aircraft catches represent a more random sampling of the tagged population, and that recaptures from this source therefore give rise to a better estimate of numbers of young produced.
This estimate of 120,000 young may be compared with an estimate of at least 93,000 adult seals obtained by aerial survey in the same groups of seals (Appendix No. 12).
Subsequent recaptures of young tagged on individual days are shown in TableVIU.The southern seal group, tagged on March 1,
2, 7 and 11, received hunting pressure from landsmen and aircraft only, except for some light catching by ships in late March after
-.37-
Table VIII. Subsequent recaptures of young seals tagged on the days shown.
Number Recaptured By landsmen Per cent Date Tagged Ex_spips and aircraft Total recaptured
March 1 548 10 214 224 40.9 2 637 - 16 242 258 40.5 3 620 254 154 408 65.8 4 839 500 121 621 74.0 7 110 --- 74 74 (67.3) 11 90 --- 71 71 (78.8) * Overall 2844 780 876 1656 58.2
dispersal of the group. The northern group, tagged on March 3 and 4,
received hunting pressure from both ships and aircraft, with most
sealing from shipboard. Overall recoveries indicate that hunting
took 58.2% of young seals produced in these two groups. A third
group of young seals was discovered by the industry later in March
and was neither tagged nor counted by anal survey. It is under-
stood that some 12,000 seals were taken from this third group, and
that it was not as large as the other two.
An estimate of 150,000 young for these three groups seems
reasonable. Since other groups could have remained undetected, this
is a minimal estimate of young harp seals produced in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence in 1964.
D. E. Sergeant
No. 12
Aerial Photo.ra.hic Estimate of Young Seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Front in 1964
Two groups of breeding seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence -38-
were counted by aerial photography. These were the same groups in
which the numbers of young were estimated from a capture-recapture
tagging experiment.
Group 1, situated initially just southwest of the Magdalen
Islands, was photographed on February 28,March 1 and March 4. By
this last date the area of this group had shrunk, and it later became
clear that it had split on the Magdalen Islands and parts had begun
to drift up both east and west coasts; consequently the estimate of
numbers was reduced.
Group 2, situated initially some 30 miles north of the
Magdalens, was photographed on March 3. A number of ships were by
then located along its northern fringe and some disturbance by men
walking over the ice was apparent, locally reducing the number of
adult seals to be counted. -
Since whelping was at an early stage at these dates,
photographic estimates are based on adult seals only. As usual, i I it could not be determined what percentage of the seals present were
females. The tagging party reported some adult males present. The
photographs slhowed pupping most highly advanced in the north and west
of both groups, with large groups of adults without young present on
the south and east fringes. This feature was observed as late as
March 4. As estimated roughly from the photographic mosaic, group I
showed 5% of seals with pups on February 28, 40% on March 1, and 70%
on March 4, while group 2 showed some 63% with pups on March 3. Thus
both groups whelped at about the same mean date of March 2.
Area estimates and counts are shown in Table IX. Maximal
numbers of adults in both groups together total 93,076. This is Table IX. Aerial photographic survey of harp seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Front in 1964:
W 0 Mean density à Area per square mile Estimated Total number g Date sampled Adults Young total area Adults Young (sq. mi.) (sq. mi.) v w 4 Group 1 Feb. 28 13.81 813.38 --- 57.25 46,565 --- g) co March 1 18.83 909.62 --- 60.35 54,900 --- I --.--- Cz. March 4 6.10 439 --- 26.25 11,527 --_ 0 U. @ Group 2 March 3 14.89 775.58 --- 49.22 38 9 176 0 UM IM 1••••• ■■•
389 March 10 1113.7 X 7.69 8,728 5,037 H Group 1 5.02 674 Z Group 2 March 10 9.41 1079 3069 29.68 32,030 91,103 -40-
considerably lower than the best estimate from tagging and recapture
of 120,000 young produced. Allowing for some disturbance in group 2,
a figure of 100,000 adults might have been reached from aerial
photography. The remaining discrepancy would have been due to adults
invisible in the water, and suggests that a photographic survey
will always underestimate numbers of breeding seals.
Similar results were obtained from an incomplete survey
on the Front (Table IX). One large group was surveyed on March 10,
1964, and an estimate of 91,000 young was obtained. At this date an
observer on shipboard reported some births still in progress. Ships'
catches of young seals from this group were reported to total some
110,000, this exceeding the estimate from aerial survey to about the
same degree as the estimate of young from tagging exceeded the aerial
estimate of adults in the Gulf.
D. E. Sergeant
No , 13
East Coast Whales
Observations were made by Mr. C. D. Grant on board
M.V. Hardyfjord between June 18 and September 19, 1964. Experienced whaling crew allowed identification of most sightings to species.
The area of operation was off the east coast of Nova Scotia.
Identified sightings were as follows:
Fin whale 97 Blue whale 5 Minke whale 14 Killer whale 2 Sperm whale 6 Bottlenose whale 23 Pilot whale 25 plus Dolphin 48 -41-
Some bias towards fin whales might be expected because this was the principal species sought.
Observers on board M.V. Harengus from the St. Andrews Station of the Fisheries Research Board recorded whales between late April to late October in -localities ranging from the eastern banks of Nova
Scotia to the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Identified sightings were:
Fin whale 18 Humpback 12 Killer 2 Bottlenose 8 herds Pilot 7 nerds Dolphin 4 herds Common porpoise I herd plus 6 individual
Observers on board cable ship Lord Kelvin of Western Union
Telegraph Company made observations in June and July on Banquereau and the Grand Bank. Sightings totalled 8 humpbacks, 15 pilot whales and 150-200 dolphins.
Observations of humpbacks and rorquals were also received from the mouth of the Saguenay (per Mr. Lewis Evans of Bishopes
College School) and of fin whales from St. Maryes Islands in the northWest corner of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (J. Bédard, of the
Canadian Wildlife Service), while a 74-foot female blue whale was
stranded dead at LeAnse à Beauf ils, Gaspé Sud, Quebec on June 4,
1964 (P. Brunel, Station de Biologie Marine, Grande Rivière).
So many sightings close to shore serve to emphasise the present abundance of whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in summer.
The length range of 50 fin whales taken off Nova Scotia was: -42-
Number Lengtà in feet Range Mean Males 19 50-62 55 Females 32 52-63 57
These figures may be compared with length figures for fin
whales taken from land stations in northern Newfoundland and southern
Labrador in 1946 and 1947, data being taken from International
Whaling Statistics.
Mean length in feet 1946 — 1947 Males 59.3 60.2 Females 62.0 63.5
Nova Scotian catches were thus of smaller whales. Such a
size difference could be readily explained by supposing that
immature whales tend to remain in more southerly waters while
large mature fin whales move further into the cold Labrador
Current.
D. B. Sergeant
No. 14
Attempts at Determining the Age of White Whales
Field work on a catch of white whales at Whale Cove, • northwest Hudson Bay was concluded in 1964 after three seasons of sampling. The whales are netted at or near headlands as they pass by in August or September. The mesh of 10 to 14 inches catches the smallest animals but some whales, probably more of the larger ones, pass outside the 50-yard nets.
In the three seasons the sex ratio has varied widely but -43-
totalled 93 males to 152 females (Table X). The table also shows
the variability of sex ratio in net catches sexed by other workers.
Probably schools of males and of nursing females occur.
Table X. Sex ratios of white whales from Whale Cove.
. Number Per cent Year Males Females Total females
1962 35 37 72 51 1963 27 27 54 50 1964 31 88 119 74
Overall 93 152 245 62 Degerb,41 and Nielsen 206 279 485 57.5 Dorofeev and Klumov 299 162 461 39.5
Length frequencies at 20 cm intervals are shown in
Figure 5. Foetuses are grouped at 10-cm intervals. The tight
grouping of foetuses indicates a restricted pairing season but in
spite of this no clear length grouping of calves can be distinguished,
so that growth rates of larger foetuses and calves must vary greatly.
Therefore other approaches were tried to solve the problem of aging.
The pregnancy rates of females over the three years are
shown in Table XI. Some 0.256 of the females, or 0.256 x 152/245
or 0.159 of total animals, were pregnant. Gestation in white whales
lasts close to one year, and effectively all calves had been born at
time of sampling. Therefore the percentage of animals pregnant equals
the percentage of 0 group calves, assuming no mortality in late
intra-uterine or early calf life.
Table XI. Reproductive rates of white whales from Whale Cove.
Number Number Per cent Year Total pregnant lactating pregnant 1962 39 12 16 30.8 1963 28 7 12 25 1964 46 10 12 21.7 Overall 113 29 40 25.6 Di 30 30 P . ut:1
Foetuses Sexes Combined Len
Fume 20 -120 gth f r e qu 0 10 1.1 —1 1 enci es of
whi 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 t e wh
al 93 Males 10 es f 110 ro m U
h 0 al e Co ve 152 Females , —120 20 Mum
t.) CY. • 10 1 10
1 J "4,-/ 1 150 poo 250 300 350 400 i ° 50 100 Lemeh in Centimetres Thus, out of 152 females, 152 X 0.159 or 23 (at most)
would be 0 group calves, and of 93 males, 14 at most would be
calves. From the length frequencies (Figure 5), limiting upper
lengths for 0 group animals would be approximately 215 cm for
both sexes.
Another approach could start with determining the length
of lactation. Unfortunately as known from captive porpoise
Tursiops, and determined by the writer for pilot whàles
lactation as determined from the mammary glands of females goes far
beyond the point at which the teeth of the young begin to erupt, and
they take the first solid food, While the latest milk meals cannot
be detected among much solid food. The same is apparently true for
white whales: there were 40 lactating females to 29 pregnant ones,
which would give a mean length of lactation of 40/29 X 12 = 16 months.
However, one cannot believe that weaning young with teeth erupting
are so old. In pilot whales, length frequencies showed that they
were about 6 months old.
In our sample of white whales, data on tooth eruption and
weaning (Table XII) suggest a mean length for these processes of
about 180 cm, at a mean number of about 2 growth layers. Completion
of tooth eruption in pilot whales corresponded with full weaning.
In white whales, full eruption of teeth occurs at a body length of
'about 250 cm, and a mean number of about 7 growth layers (Table XIII).
These data suggest that about 4 dentinal tooth layers may
be formed per annum, at least in early life. Figure 6 shows age
frequencies for malesand - females from Whale Cove, at 1, 2 and 4
growth layers per annum.
-46-
Table XII. Selected data on weaning, tooth eruption and tooth layers in young white whales from Whale Cove.
Teeth Stomach Tooth Number Length Sex erupted* contents layers cm 62-87 151 M 0000 Milk â1 63-2 165 F ? Milk 1 63-4 178 M ? Milk 2 64-7 185 ? 2200 Shrimp 21/4 64-11 187 F 0-2- Shrimp 4- 2-3 milk 62-86 191 M 1021 Shrimp 2 64-56 191 F 0-0- Empty 2;..2 64-91 191 F 0-0- 11/2 64-73 198 F 0-0- 1 Nereis 41/2 beak 64-24 198 F 3-3- Empty 21à 62-21 201 M 2-2- Shrimp 3 62-29 239 M 2020 Shrimp 4-7
* Upper left, Lower left, Upper right, Lower right
Table XIII. Selected data on tooth eruption and growth layers in older calves.
Teeth Tooth Number Length Sex erupted* layers CM 62-95 236 M 75-- 7 ,62-64 241 F 7474 5 62-67 241 F . 76-- 7 62-82 241 P 87-- 4 62-70 244 M 98-- 7 62-41 246 M 4444 9 62-90 251 M 65-- 7 62-50 251 M 63-- 11 62-26 251 M 6262 9 62-18 254 F 87-- 7 62- 6 257 F 9898** 12
* Upper left, Lower left, Upper right, Lower right ** Full dentition
D. E. Sergeant 2 Layers per Annum 10-1 Female
.1•■•■11.
0 n
20-1 4 Layers per Annum 4 Layers per Annum r 20 Male Female
ls 2 Layers per Annum Male ima 1— 10 An 101 of r be m Nu o 10-, 10 1 Layer per Annum Male
1 11 r-1 r-1 n 0 rn-7L-F-- n n rL, 0 10 1 Layer per Annum Female LE1-r-Lr' 1 1 1 0 1 5 10. 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Age in Assigned Years
Fig. 6. Age frequencies of white whales from Whale Cove, 1962-64. -48-
No. 15
Zoo lankton of the ICNAF Greenland Environmental Survey
Examination of zooplankton collections taken by the
Canadian vessels Baffin and Sackville during the Norwestlant 2
portion of the 1963 ICNAF environmental survey of Greenland waters
has been completed. Labrador Sea and Davis Strait plankton stations
are shown in Figure 70
The distribution of standing crop, estimated from vertical
Hensen net hauls, is shown in Figure 8. Maximum quantities of
f 2 zooplankton, of more than 20 mg/m in the upper 100 metres, are
shown in the central Labrador Sea and central Davis Strait. Quan-
tities diminished towards the Labrador and West Greenland coasts, 2 and the smallest values, of less than 5 mg/m , were found over the banks along the Greenland coast.
Stations in the region of maximum standing crop were
characterized by the presence of the greatest number of many of
the larger copepods, especially older copepodites of Calanus finmarchicus, and by several other copepods including Heterorhabdus
norvegicus, Scolecithricella minor and cyclopoids (mostly Oithona
similis and O. atlantica) as well as by members of other groups
such as Parathemisto gaudichaudi (amphipod), Sagitta maxima and to a lesser degree Eukrohnia hamata (chaetognaths), SEiyatella retroversa 1 (pteropod), adult euphausiids and larvae of Thysanoessa longicaudata, tomopterids (polychaetes) and Conchoecia obtusata and C. elegans
(ostracods). Most abundant in the less rich areas, especially over the Greenland banks, were larvae of echinoderms, cirripedes and decapod crustaceans, as well as a number of other species. Locations 70° 6 (.° 50° 40° 30° 20° W 0°
NU,
50° 40° 30° 20° I 60° nenierwimmicznemsseanamees: Ucireseimummaaptigamme.... .umemmiem MVO Fig. 7. ICNAF Greenland Environmental Survey Plankton Stations.
70° 60 0 50° 40 0 30° 20° W . 11111"."- -...--4,,.. Amm-
'
65° 65° N •I. --;,.. 1 11111 , Ini• ., • ,„ __ Hp______, 60° 0,- 10 V---1. 60 0
===, . :.1 e.. oei . • .11.i 1 lii! i - ril , I MI 11 - • 1 . III I 1111 1 li - . hi Nii ori•rrr-•Hein r — —' • I hl rr 1 - 11 r 11 11 . I ir le ■ _ 55° - i — i f 11 Ill - 1 , w"I l 10,11 , 1
r• r - ilill h 111111 Zooplaelten °wont/ 1 1 Fiellunne — I ill l ' <5 çal, g,"13 —fil l ll■ i l li 'i ll 1 J 1 _____ 11 ;r1l ,I I • 5 - 10 I. 11 ' Îl — • i. lll.1PrrOl•l il il •pii ii 10-20 EIrD -- il,h q ej , 1 4.. ,20 Eta . ihti r4 I II 1" .111. 1 _ 50° 50° ' PR ' 11 11.1 :! ' rr P ' 1 il r r rr . .1i iill,i Hi
60 0 50° 40° 30 0 20° .7/.. Sea and Davis Strait. Fig. 8. Zooplankton quantity in the Labrador -51-
showing the highest zooplankton quantity were generally warmer than those supporting a smaller biomass.
The Labrador Sea and Davis Strait are regions of mixing of
Atlantic - and arctic waters. Many of the species found are associated primarily with,one or the other of these water masses, that is with the relatively cold mixed water of the West Greenland coast or the west Labrador Sea or with the warmer Atlantic water of the central
Labrador Sea. The several Atlantic species as a group show their wee, north and northeast limits without accompanying arctic species in fairly consistent association with the maximum westward, northward and northeastward penetration of water of 3°C. The arctic species 0 . were not found in water warmer than about 3 whIle arctic and Atlantic
• pecies seldom were found together in water colder than about 1.50 .
Temperature-salinity diagrams of data from stations at which the copepods Calanus finmarchicus and Calanus glacialis were taken show the occurrence of C. finmarchicus (an Atlantic and mixed water species) without C. glacialis (an arctic and mixed water species) only in water warmer than about 3° and of salinity higher than o , 34.4 too. These T-S features agree closely with the parameters of
Labrador Sea water as formerly described, and stations yielding
C. finmarchicus only are almost identical with those at which other
Atlantic species without accompanying arctic species were shown to occur, above.
Development stages of copepods and members of other groups have been recorded from most stations. These data demonstrate features of life histories as well as aspects of distribution in these waters.
E. H. Grainger No. 16
Ice-breakeI_Entoplankton Collections
Quantitative phytoplankton samples were collected by the
Department of Mines and Technical Surveys between the Labrador Sea and Hall Basin during September and October of 1964. Numbering 285
samples, they were taken between the surface and more than 2300 metres. The material provides us with the first samples of their kind from deep northern waters and with the northernmost samples
(to 81045î N) yet taken from the waters between Canada and
Greenland.
E. H. Grainger
No , 17
Octocorallia
Specimens of octocorals (soft corals) collected during the years 1960 to 1963 have been studied during the year and the data combined with results from material collected between 1947 and 1959 in a study of the octocorals of the Canadian arctic from Alaska to
Labrador. Two species only, represented by 3 forms, are known from arctic Canada; one is circumpolar, the other in both its forms
North Atlantic, The 2 forms commonly recorded previously as
Eunephthya rubiformis and E. fruticosa are combined under the species name rubiformis. Their morphological variations are shown to be closely related to, and, it is suggested, to be largely dependent on the kind of substrate inhabited. The typical nrubiformis" form consists of hard bottom animals attached to rocks shells or other solid objects, the typical nfruticosa" form, along with transitional -53- forms, of soft bottom animals able, with varying degrees of effec- tiveness, to attach themselves by means of special adaptations to mud and sand bottoms.
E. H. Grainger
No. 18
M.V. Salvelinus Oceanographic Program, 1964
The Salvelinus encountered extremely severe ice conditions during much of the 1964 season and as a consequence the program was considerably curtailed. Departure from the winter site at Cape
Parry was delayed by ice until August 16. The vessel was then sailed directly to Cambridge Bay, reaching there on August 23.
A single station only was occupied for biological oceano- graphic collecting en route from Cape Parry to Cambridge Bay, the remaining work of this kind having been confined to the two terminal points. In all 3 locations were sampled a total of 14 times for 65 temperature and salinity observations, 10 zooplankton collections and 3 under-ice phytoplankton collections. The shallow near-shore water of southwest Cbronation Gulf was warm (7 to more than 8°C) and of law salinity (8.5 to eloo) near the end of August. At Cambridge
Bay surface temperatures were as high as 6.50 and surface salinities lower than 200/00 between August 26 and September 8. Minimum temperatures of about -1.50 were found in the deepest water sampled
(64 metres) where salinities did not exceed 30°,00.
E. H. Grainger -54-
No, 19
Phytoplankton
Observations on ICNAF Norwestlant 2 phytoplankton taken by
the Canadian vessels Baffin and Sackville in Davis Strait and the
Labrador Sea have been continued. Standing crops of phytoplankton
from 28 stations have been computed using the reverse plankton
microscope. The area investigated is dharacterized by freely
communicating water masses representing a marked Atlantic influence,
manifested well by a warm oceanic element, mostly Coccolithineae,
some tropical and subtropical dinoflagellates and diatoms, and an
arctic influence indicated mainly by diatom populations in which
Pennate species usually outnumber Centriceae. The Atlantic element
is well marked between Cape Farewell and Labrador, especially in
the central part of the Labrador Sea. It penetrates northward into
central Davis Strait, and gradually diminishes in importance towards
the northern part of Davis Strait. Towards the Labrador coast there
is an increasing arctic element of diatoms, indicating mixed
Labrador Current conditions, that is mixed arctic and West Greenland
water. This material is still being studied. It adds much informa-
tion on warm water nannoplankters, their distribution and acclima-
tization at the northern limit of their occurrence in Baffin Bay.
As the ICNAF survey covered only the offshore Labrador Sea and
eastern Davis Strait, it is intended to use material acquired from
previous expeditions to prepare a general account of the phyto-
plankton of the Labrador Sea, Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, an
. undertaking which may be of considerable significance for Canadian
east coast fisheries. -55.-
Intensive work on the standing crops of starch grains observed in Baltic, Mediterranean, Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic waters deals also with the nannoplanktonic organisms, after destruction of which starch synthesized by them is not immediately hydrolysed by tecteria, but often retains its solid consistency.
Such resistance is associated particularly with the fairly consistent low temperatures of arctic waters where there is long-term accumula- tion of starch, often reaching many millions of grains per litre.
Observations made on collections from a number of arctic locations have shown starch to be widely dispersed over the entire Canadian arctic. Enormous accumulation of starch grains, dissociated later into monosaccharids, obviously may invigorate growth of starch- metabolising bacteria and fungi. Since a small sample may show strong opalescence it is suggested that light penetration to depth may be 'strongly inhibited by starch containing organisms. Though starch grains were frequently noticed in formalin-preserved samples from a number of arctic locations, there was for some time no indication of organisms depositing potato-like or cereal-like starch in the arctic plankton. Only a few intact gymnodinioideae were found identifiable among several hundred samples. However, intensive study on living nannoplankters carried out in 1956 and 1960 showed
23 Warnoviaceae and 56 other gymnodinioideae as the main arctic - starch producers. Phytomonadinea, of intermediate importance as starch producers, were particularly abundant in brackish waters of the Axctic Ocean, while starch from the Rhodophyceae was rare.
The elongated potato-like starch grains (Pl. 1, fig. 1, 2) constitute a part of the ocelli in Warnoviaceae (Pl. 2), which -56-
Plate 1. Fig. 1. Potato-like starch, derived after destruction of ocellus and pellicle of Pronoctiluca pelagica, fairly numerous in arctic waters. Fig. 2. Reserve starch, slightly hydrolized, from arctic plankton. Fig. 3. Starch of ocellus, from Cochlodinium sp. Fig. 4. Peculiar, probably reserve starch form with central star-like structure. -57-
/---
. e. 'e ‘ .'''''I „,II - e )14; t, À d idt 4 te‘ à- 4 1 .4.1!:.-e:• 4 •, à • 11" 4: e
2. Cochlodinium hudsonensis n. spec. Frequently found in deep water around the Belcher Islands, Hudson Bay. L, lens fixed with its narrower end in the melanosome pigment, M. Both structures form an organ named the ocellus. Approximate length 7821. -58-
consie: Df dark red melanosome pigment probably containing
•astaxanthic (found in lobsters) and carctynoids. The roundish
starch grains represent the common reserve starch, utilized as
an energy source after conversion to simple suaars (Pl. 1, fig. 3,
4). The striking similarities of some starch of Warnoviaceae and
higher plants do not indicate taxonomic affinities. To complete
my observations on the starch of the oceans, some phytoplankton
samples were collected from the tropical waters of Bermuda and
from Tortola, British West Indies. Starch, according to my ob-
servations, is initially catalysed by proplastids, which appear Co
be identical with chondriosomes. Largefaecalpellets containing
starch and many holozoic gymnodinioideae and Discoasteromonas
indicate intensive grazing on nannoplankters containing starch;
however none of the grazers digests starch, intact starch grains
being ejected. Huge crops of starch reveal past blooms of
gymnodinioideae and the moribund condition of some arctic habitats.
Since our daily bread is baked from starch, which also
floats in the oceans, the exploitation of such food resources may
warrant investigation.
A. S. Bursa
No. 20
M.V. Calanus
The M.V. Calanus, a ketch-rigged schooner, of length 47.0
feet, breadth 15.0 feet, depth 8 feet, 6 inches and a gross tonnage
-of 23.72, was built in 1948, by Industrial Shipping Co., Mahone Bay,
N.S. The vessel is fully equipped for marine mammal, fish and oceanographic work and included in the deck machinery is a winch used primarily for mid-water and bottom trawling, by means of side- operated gear. Also included on deck is an oceanographic winch from which plankton nets, BT's and various sampling equipment can be operated.
The Calanus is navigated by means of a Gyro compass, and is equipped with radar, echo sounder, direction finder and radio telephone.
In 1962 the vessel was placed under steamÉhip inspection at Churchill, Manitoba, and subsequently sailed to Montreal to undergo a complete refit. Montreal Dry Docks Ltd. were awarded a contract to carry out the necessary repairs including installation of a 137-HP Rolls Royce engine to replace the original 77-HP
Caterpillar. On December 1 of 1964 the Calanus was put through trials. During these trials it was noticed that the vessel was
taking on water and the trials were suspended. She was taken to
Canadian Vickers Ltd. and berthed because it was impossible to return to Montreal Dry Docks; the seaway was closing and there was a danger of having the vessel locked in the Lachine Basin. Upon berthing, it was evident that she could not be left unattended as the water was rising in the hull at the rate of 31/2 inches every three quarters of an hour. Arrangements were made with Cânadian
Vickers Ltd. to have someone stand by and keep the vessel pumped out until the leak could be found and repaired. On December 4,
1964, when a visit was made to the Càlanus she was found to be
sinking, with the water level tro-thirds the way up the main engine, -60-
apparently having been unattended since December 3.
Canadian Vickeis Ltd. lifted the vessel out of the water
and placed her on a jetty where she was left for the remainder of
the winter. By March 31 the origin of the leak was still undetermined.
Later she was taken to the Davie Shipyards, Lévis, Que., on board an icebreaker and it is expected that repairs will be completed in time to sail for the arctic in July.
W. P. Pinckard Environment Environnement Canada Canada 0020779C
FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA. ARCTIC BIOLOGI CAL STATION , STE ANNE DE BELLVUE. P.O.