scholarly journals Alaska Beluga Whale Committee—a unique model of co-management

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn J. Frost ◽  
Tom Gray ◽  
Willie Goodwin, Sr. ◽  
Roswell Schaeffer ◽  
Robert Suydam
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Funding Agency ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Subsistence Hunting ◽  
Beluga Whales

The Alaska Beluga Whale Committe (ABWC) was formed in 1988 to conserve beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and manage beluga subsistence hunting in western and northern Alaska in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). When the ABWC was formed, there was no consistently funded research or management programme for belugas in Alaska, and co-management was a new concept. The ABWC brought together representatives from beluga hunting communities; federal, state, tribal and local governments; and beluga researchers to develop and implement a programme to manage belugas. With funding from NMFS and others, the ABWC has collected data necessary for informed management decisions including the following: harvest data; aerial surveys of belugas in Bristol Bay and the eastern Bering and Chukchi seas; beluga tracking studies, including training hunters to attach transmitters; a pioneering genetics study of beluga stock identity that has facilitated collection of >2000 beluga skin samples; and a genetics-based mark–recapture study to estimate beluga abundance in Bristol Bay and validate aerial survey estimates. The ABWC is currently engaged in regional management planning in Kotzebue Sound and the eastern Bering Sea. It produces results that are scientifically valid, locally accepted and cost-effective and is an example of what can be achieved when Native hunters, scientists and managing agencies respect and listen to one another and work together. However, the current NMFS co-management funding process has fundamentally altered the relationship between NMFS and ABWC, with NMFS now acting more like a funding agency than a partner.

SEASONAL HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM CHEMISTRY OF WILD BELUGA WHALES (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) IN BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA, USA

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Norman ◽  
Caroline E. C. Goertz ◽  
Kathy A. Burek ◽  
Lori T. Quakenbush ◽  
Leslie A. Cornick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Serum Chemistry ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Beluga Whales

Movements of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Bristol Bay, Alaska

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 1272-1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Citta ◽  
Lori T. Quakenbush ◽  
Kathryn J. Frost ◽  
Lloyd Lowry ◽  
Roderick C. Hobbs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Beluga Whales

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal summer distribution of Cumberland Sound beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Clearwater Fiord

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karyn Booy ◽  
Xavier Mouy ◽  
Steven H. Ferguson ◽  
Marianne Marcoux
Keyword(s):  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Diel Variation ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Cumberland Sound ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Summer Distribution ◽  
Beluga Whale Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Passive Acoustic

The Cumberland Sound (Nunavut, Canada) beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) population has been designated as threatened and updated biological information about summer distribution is required for a sound recovery plan. Variation in aerial survey counts are speculated to occur due to movement of belugas in and out of the fiord, and there is still uncertainty related to their distribution within key summer habitat. To address these knowledge gaps, non-invasive passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems were deployed in August of 2010 and 2011. An automated detector was used to determine presence/absence and quantify calls by recorder site. Results were verified by partial manual analysis of 20% of the files. The detector had a minimum accuracy of 85% for presence/absence and 42% for call quantification. Belugas were detected primarily at the uppermost site of Clearwater Fiord, with detections subsiding with increasing proximity to the fiord entrance. Diel variation in call patterns were quantified at two separate sites in different years, but no correlation was observed between tidal cycles and number of detections. This study indicates that Cumberland Sound beluga may prefer sites at the head of Clearwater Fiord. Further research is required to identify which environmental variables contribute to this observed summer distribution.

scholarly journals Skin microbiome of beluga whales: spatial, temporal, and health-related dynamics

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M. Van Cise ◽  
Paul R. Wade ◽  
Caroline E. C. Goertz ◽  
Kathy Burek-Huntington ◽  
Kim M. Parsons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Cook Inlet ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Health Indices ◽  
Endangered Population

Abstract Background Host-specific microbiomes play an important role in individual health and ecology; in marine mammals, epidermal microbiomes may be a protective barrier between the host and its aqueous environment. Understanding these epidermal-associated microbial communities, and their ecological- or health-driven variability, is the first step toward developing health indices for rapid assessment of individual or population health. In Cook Inlet, Alaska, an endangered population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) numbers fewer than 300 animals and continues to decline, despite more than a decade of conservation effort. Characterizing the epidermal microbiome of this species could provide insight into the ecology and health of this endangered population and allow the development of minimally invasive health indicators based on tissue samples. Results We sequenced the hypervariable IV region of bacterial and archaeal SSU rRNA genes from epidermal tissue samples collected from endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales (n = 33) and the nearest neighboring population in Bristol Bay (n = 39) between 2012 and 2018. We examined the sequences using amplicon sequence variant (ASV)-based analyses, and no ASVs were associated with all individuals, indicating a greater degree of epidermal microbiome variability among beluga whales than in previously studied cetacean species and suggesting the absence of a species-specific core microbiome. Epidermal microbiome composition differed significantly between populations and across sampling years. Comparing the microbiomes of Bristol Bay individuals of known health status revealed 11 ASVs associated with potential pathogens that differed in abundance between healthy individuals and those with skin lesions or dermatitis. Molting and non-molting individuals also differed significantly in microbial diversity and the abundance of potential pathogen-associated ASVs, indicating the importance of molting in maintaining skin health. Conclusions We provide novel insights into the dynamics of Alaskan beluga whale epidermal microbial communities. A core epidermal microbiome was not identified across all animals. We characterize microbial dynamics related to population, sampling year and health state including level of skin molting. The results of this study provide a basis for future work to understand the role of the skin microbiome in beluga whale health and to develop health indices for management of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales, and cetaceans more broadly.

scholarly journals Genetic profiling links changing sea-ice to shifting beluga whale migration patterns

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 20160404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg O'Corry-Crowe ◽  
Andrew R. Mahoney ◽  
Robert Suydam ◽  
Lori Quakenbush ◽  
Alex Whiting ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Genetic Profiling ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Resource Dispersion ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
And Shifts

There is increasing concern over how Arctic fauna will adapt to climate related changes in sea-ice. We used long-term sighting and genetic data on beluga whales ( Delphinapterus leucas ) in conjunction with multi-decadal patterns of sea-ice in the Pacific Arctic to investigate the influence of sea-ice on spring migration and summer residency patterns. Substantial variations in sea-ice conditions were detected across seasons, years and sub-regions, revealing ice–ocean dynamics more complex than Arctic-wide trends suggest. This variation contrasted with a highly consistent pattern of migration and residency by several populations, indicating that belugas can accommodate widely varying sea-ice conditions to perpetuate philopatry to coastal migration destinations. However, a number of anomalous migration and residency events were detected and coincided with anomalous ice years, and in one case with an increase in killer whale ( Orcinus orca ) sightings and reported predation on beluga whales. The behavioural shifts were likely driven by changing sea-ice and associated changes in resource dispersion and predation risk. Continued reductions in sea-ice may result in increased predation at key aggregation areas and shifts in beluga whale behaviour with implications for population viability, ecosystem structure and the subsistence cultures that rely on them.

scholarly journals Larger body size leads to greater female beluga whale reproductive activity at the southern periphery of their range

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Ferguson ◽  
David Yurkowski ◽  
Justine Hudson ◽  
Tera Edkins ◽  
Cornelia Willing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Food Competition ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Variation Explained

Identification of phenotypic characteristics in reproductively successful individuals provides important insights into the evolutionary processes that cause range shifts due to environmental change. Female beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the Baffin Bay region (BB) of the Canadian Arctic in the core area of the species’ geographic range have larger body size than their conspecifics at the southern range periphery in Hudson Bay (HB). We investigated the mechanism for this north and south divergence as it relates to reproductive activity (RA = total corpora) that combines morphometric data with ovarian corpora counted from female reproductive tracts. Based on the previous finding of reproductive senescence in older HB females, but not for BB whales, we compared RA patterns the of the two populations’ with age and body length. Female beluga whale RA increased more quickly with age (63% partial variation explained) in BB than in HB (41%). In contrast, body length in HB female beluga whale accounted for considerably more of the total variation (12 vs 1%) in RA compared to BB whales. We speculate that female HB beluga whale RA was more strongly linked with body length due to higher population density resulting in food competition that favors the energetic advantages of larger body size during seasonal food limitations. Understanding the evolutionary mechanism of how RA, and potentially fitness, varies across a species’ range will assist conservation efforts in anticipating and mitigating future challenges associated with a warming planet.

scholarly journals Comparing progesterone in blubber and serum to assess pregnancy in wild beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline E C Goertz ◽  
Kathy Burek-Huntington ◽  
Katie Royer ◽  
Lori Quakenbush ◽  
Tonya Clauss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Pregnancy Status

Blood and blubber were sampled from live-captured beluga whales in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Progesterone levels were used to assess pregnancy status. For most cases, blubber progesterone levels correlated with serum, indicating that pregnancy can be assessed using a remote biopsy and thereby providing a valuable tool to better understand reproduction dynamics from populations that cannot be readily captured for examination.

scholarly journals On factors for separation of the stock of beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas in the Anadyr Gulf of the Bering Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 179 (4) ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
Denis I. Litovka ◽  
Ludmila N. Khitzova
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
Polar Cod ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Anadyr Estuary

New eco-ethological data on the Anadyr stock of beluga whales are presented based on 14-year (2000-2013) studies by methods of satellite tracking telemetry, multi-spectral aerial surveys and genetic analysis, as well as traditional and ecosystem-based approaches. Possible factors of the separate stock formation in the Anadyr Gulf are discussed, as geographic isolation, environmental conditions, foraging resources, elimination of the beluga whales, and biological isolation (on the results of genetic analysis). The beluga whales are well-adapted to oceanographic conditions and ice regime of the Arctic waters that is realized in their relationship with edge of the sea ice, ability to live in both salt and fresh waters (they enter rivers), and versatility in feeding. Their ice-associating, high sociality, and white protective coloration provide protection against killer whales and other predators and their eury-halinity allows to expand the feeding grounds both to the sea and rivers and hunt for both freshwater, anadromous and marine prey. The food spectrum of beluga whales in the Anadyr estuary is very wide and includes 12 fish species and 1 crustacean species. In the summer-autumn season, the salmons are the most significant part of the diet, as chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta , pink salmon O. gorbuscha and arctic char Salvelinus malma , whereas arctic smelt Osmerus mordax dentex , saffron cod Eleginus gracilis , sculpins Cottidae sp., anadyr whitefish Coregonus anaulorum , and siberian whitefish Coregonus sardinella are presented in the diet to a lesser extent. There is supposed on the base of episodic net surveys, that the beluga whales feeding in marine areas is more diverse, and the most important their prey in the sea are walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma , pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus , flounders Pleuronectidae sp., sculpins Cottidae sp., capelin Mallotus villosus catervarius , polar cod Boreogadus saida , halibuts Pleuronectidae sp., stingrays Bathyraja , herring Clupeidae sp., and several species of decapod crustaceans Hyppolitidae sp. and Lithodidae sp. Natural enemies of beluga whales are killer whale Orcinus orca , polar bear Ursus maritimus , and predatory form of pacific walrus Odobenus rosmarus . Rather large number of beluga whales are eliminated by the sea ice, up to 80 animals annually, that exceeds in several times the aboriginal landings in Chukotka. Parasitic fauna of the beluga whale is still unclear and requires special investigations; the cases of epizooty are unknown in the Anadyr Gulf. Philopatry is proper to the Anadyr beluga whales, with preference of the Anadyr estuary and the Anadyr Gulf as their habitats, that is explained by optimal for them environments and high food capacity. Unique adaptation of beluga whales to the environments of the Anadyr estuary is their ultrasonic vocalization in the high-turbidity waters. Genetic analysis shows a differentiated distribution of the beluga whales haplotypes in different areas of the North Pacific, so the stock of the Anadyr Gulf is significantly isolated in the post-glacial times. Low anthropogenic pressure on beluga whales in the Anadyr Gulf allows them to maintain their stock there.

scholarly journals Results on photo identification for beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas in the Anadyr estuary of the Bering Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 179 (4) ◽  
pp. 120-128
Author(s):  
Ekaterina A. Prasolova ◽  
Roman A. Belikov ◽  
Andrey A. Ryabov ◽  
Denis I. Litovka
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Shirshov Institute ◽  
Hunting Behavior ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
Large Aggregation ◽  
Skin Damages ◽  
Anadyr Estuary

Definition of individual beluga whales by the method of photo identification and selection of the main types of markers are presented for beluga whales in the Anadyr estuary, western Bering Sea. The study was conducted in the aggregation of beluga whales in three different sites at Anadyr - in the Anadyr sea port and at ferry docks № 8 and № 10 in the period from August 14 to September 6, 2013 (summer feeding of the whales). The maximum number of whales (40-70 animals) was observed at the ferry dock № 10, 2-6 whales were at the ferry dock № 8, and 1-2 ones - at the port. Mother-calf pairs were observed in all sites, but the portion of adult whales was the highest at the ferry dock № 10. Photocamera Nikon D90 and Nikkor lens (70-200 mm) were used for the photo ID. Mechanical skin damages, infections, spinal ridge traces, and age spots were used as individual markers. In total, 4400 images were obtained, including 155 ones with sides of beluga whales. The markers were observed both on the left side (32 cases) and right side (97 cases) of the whales, but both sides were identified for 13 whales only, including 3 females with calves. Taking into account the risk of reassessment in case of using two sides for identification, the identification is considered as successful for 110 individuals of beluga whale. Almost all identified individuals were met only once during the whole period of observation, only 6 of them were met twice, and only 4 - three times. One whale appeared 3 days in a row: on August 16, 17 and 18, and 5 individuals came 2 days in a row. Such few recurrent meetings may indicate a weak fidelity of beluga whales to certain water areas in the estuary, though maybe the length of study is insufficient, taking into account that a strong fidelity of mother-calf pairs of beluga whales to certain areas of the Anadyr estuary, considered as their hunting areas, was determined by visual observations of Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in the 1980s. Probably, the area at the dock № 10, where the whales form large aggregation, is not assigned to individual animals but is a common feeding area. This large aggregation is similar to the aggregation of beluga whales at Cape Beluzhy of Solovetsky Island in the White Sea. However, these aggregations are fundamentally different by their nature: the reproductive aggregation at Solovetsky Island is distinguished by various forms of social interactions, including sexual activity, while the search and hunting behavior prevail in the feeding aggregation at the ferry dock № 10. The main reason for the beluga whales concentration in this area is dense concentration of freshwater fish and salmons migrating for spawning. Reproductive aggregations of beluga whales are not known yet in the Far-Eastern Seas.

scholarly journals Local acoustic habitat relative to hearing sensitivities in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-1 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Aran Mooney ◽  
Manuel Castellote ◽  
Ian T. Jones ◽  
Lori Quakenbush ◽  
Roderick Hobbs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Density ◽  
Ambient Noise ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Noise Spectral Density ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Lower Amplitude

Background noise can have a substantial effect on communication signals, however far less is known about how natural soundscapes may influence hearing sensitivity. Here we compare the audiograms of 26 wild beluga whales measured in their natural environment to a series of ecoacoustic measurements within a primary portion of their Bristol Bay summer habitat, the Nushagak Estuary in Bristol Bay, AK, USA. Environmental acoustic measurements were made during 2012 and 2016 using two different methods: a moored recorder and drifter buoys. Environmental noise curves varied substantially. Drifter recordings from the middle of Nushgak Estuary had the highest spectrum levels during ebb tides with acoustic energy from sediment transport extending well into higher frequencies (ca. 60 kHz), likely due to rapidly moving tidal flow and shifting sediment in that location. Drifter recordings near the estuary mouth and shallow tidal flats were lower amplitude. Noise levels generally varied during drifts (in one case up to ca. 6 dB) reflecting acoustic cues available to the local belugas. The moored recorder showed a substantially different spectral profile, especially at lower frequencies, perhaps due to its attachment to a pier piling and subsequent pier noise. Hearing sensitivity varied by individual and thresholds often fell above 1/3 octave-band noise levels, but not overall noise spectral density. Audiograms of the most sensitive animals closely paralleled the lowest ambient noise power spectral density curves, suggesting that an animal’s auditory dynamic range may extend to include its habitat’s quietest conditions. These data suggest a cautious approach is necessary when estimating the sound-sensitivity of odontocetes found in quiet environments as they may have sensitive auditory abilities that allow for hearing within the lowest noise-level conditions. Further, lower level ambient noise conditions could provide a conservative estimate of the maximal sensitivity of some cetacean populations within specific environments.

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