Beluga Vocalizations Decrease in Response to Vessel Traffic in the Mackenzie River Estuary

Vessel traffic negatively affects marine mammals by causing behavioural disturbance, acoustic masking, contamination (i.e., oil spills), and ship strikes. Few studies have examined the effects of vessels on marine mammals in the Arctic, but beluga whales appear to be especially sensitive to vessel traffic. We examine how the vocalizations of belugas are impacted by vessel traffic in the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area in the Mackenzie River estuary of the western Canadian Arctic. Between one and four acoustic recorders were deployed between June and August each year between 2015 and 2018 near the only shipping channel at this site. We examined beluga vocalizations from acoustic recordings over four summers and assessed how the distance to the nearest vessel passing the acoustic recorder affected the number of vocalizations. Beluga vocalizations within the range of the acoustic recorder decreased significantly when vessels were within 5 km of the acoustic recorder. This result suggests either that belugas are avoiding the vessel or that they reduce their vocalization in response to vessel traffic. Future work is needed to assess exactly how belugas are reacting to vessel traffic in this area and what the long-term consequences of these reactions are. Management measures for reducing these impacts must be carefully considered, especially since these vessels are very restricted in where they can travel, and many of the vessels are necessary for the livelihoods of local communities.La circulation maritime a des effets négatifs sur les mammifères marins, car elle entraîne des perturbations comportementales, masque leurs signaux acoustiques et engendre de la contamination (comme des déversements de pétrole) et des collisions. Bien que peu d’études aient examiné les effets des bateaux sur les mammifères marins de l’Arctique, les bélugas semblent particulièrement sensibles à la circulation maritime. Dans cet article, nous examinons en quoi les vocalisations des bélugas sont touchées par la circulation maritime dans la zone de protection marine de Tarium Niryutait faisant partie de l’estuaire du fleuve Mackenzie, dans l’ouest de l’Arctique canadien. Entre un et quatre enregistreurs acoustiques ont été déployés de juin à août de chaque année entre 2015 et 2018, à proximité du seul chenal de navigation de l’endroit. Nous avons examiné les vocalisations des bélugas prélevées à l’aide des enregistreurs acoustiques au cours de quatre étés, et évalué en quoi la distance du bateau passant le plus près de l’enregistreur acoustique avait un effet sur le nombre de vocalisations. Les vocalisations des bélugas dans la zone de l’enregistreur acoustique diminuaient considérablement lorsque les bateaux se trouvaient à moins de cinq kilomètres de l’enregistreur. Ce résultat suggère soit que les bélugas évitent les bateaux, soit qu’ils réduisent leurs vocalisations en réponse à la circulation maritime. Il y a lieu de pousser cette étude plus loin pour évaluer exactement comment les bélugas réagissent à la circulation des bateaux dans cette région, et quelles sont les conséquences à long terme de ces réactions. Il y a lieu aussi de considérer avec soin des mesures de gestion pour réduire ces incidences, surtout parce que les déplacements de ces bateaux sont assujettis à de nombreuses restrictions et parce que grand nombre des bateaux qui passent par là sont nécessaires à la subsistance des collectivités de la région. &nbsp

Sex differences in razorbill Alca torda parent–offspring vocal recognition

We investigated differences in parent–offspring vocal recognition between males and females in a natural population of razorbills Alca torda, a long-lived and highly social species of auk (Family: Alcidae). Razorbills provide biparental care to their chicks while at the nest site, after which the male is the sole caregiver for an additional period at sea. Parent–offspring recognition in razorbills is most challenging once the chick becomes mobile, leaves the nest site and goes to sea with the male parent. It is during this period when selection pressure acting on recognition behaviour is expected to be strongest. As a result, we predicted that parent–offspring recognition would be better developed in the male parent, that is, show a paternal bias. To test this prediction we used vocal playback experiments conducted on breeding razorbills at the Gannet Islands, Labrador, Canada. We found (1) most positive responses to playbacks (vocal and phonotactic)occurred close to fledging, (2) males responded more to calls from their chicks than to calls from strange chicks, (3) females responded indifferently to calls from their own or strange chicks and (4) chicks responded more to calls from their male parent than to calls from other adult males. The results provide clear evidence of mutual vocal recognition between the male parent and the chick but not between the female parent and the chick, supporting the prediction that parent–offspring recognition is male biased in this species. Such a bias could have important social implications for a variety of behavioural and basic life history traits such as cooperation and sex-biased dispersal

Seasonal Patterns in Ocean Ambient Noise near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories + Supplementary Appendix 1 (See Article Tools)

Ocean ambient noise is a crucial habitat feature for marine animals because it represents the lower threshold of their acoustically active space. Ambient noise is affected by noise from both natural sources, like wind and ice, and anthropogenic sources, such as shipping and seismic surveys. During the ice-covered season, ambient conditions in the Arctic are quieter than those in other regions because sea ice has a dampening effect. Arctic warming induced by climate change can raise noise levels by reducing sea ice coverage and increasing human activity, and these changes may negatively affect several species of marine mammals and other acoustically sensitive marine fauna. We document ambient noise off the west coast of Banks Island near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, to provide baseline noise levels for the eastern Beaufort Sea. Noise levels were comparable to those found in other studies of the Canadian Arctic and Alaska and were typically much lower than levels reported farther south. Stronger wind increased noise, whereas greater ice concentration decreased it, dampening the effect of wind speed. Future work should expand monitoring to other locations in the Arctic, model the impact of increased human activities on ambient noise levels, and predict the impact of these changing levels on marine animals.Le bruit ambiant d’un océan est une caractéristique essentielle de l’habitat des animaux marins, car il représente le seuil inférieur de leur espace acoustique actif. Le bruit ambiant est modifié par le bruit provenant de sources naturelles, comme le vent et la glace, et de sources anthropiques, comme la navigation et les levés sismiques. Pendant la saison des glaces, les conditions ambiantes dans l’Arctique sont plus calmes que celles d’autres régions parce que la glace marine a un effet modérateur. Le réchauffement de l’Arctique provoqué par le changement climatique peut faire augmenter les niveaux de bruit en réduisant la zone maritime englacée et en augmentant l’activité humaine. Ces changements peuvent nuire à plusieurs espèces de mammifères marins et d’autres espèces marines sensibles sur le plan acoustique. Nous avons documenté le bruit ambiant au large de la côte ouest de l’île Banks près de Sachs Harbour, aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest, pour établir les niveaux de bruit de base dans l’est de la mer de Beaufort. Les niveaux de bruit étaient comparables à ceux trouvés dans d’autres études de l’Arctique canadien et de l’Alaska et étaient généralement beaucoup plus bas que les niveaux observés plus au sud. Les vents plus forts font augmenter le bruit, tandis que la plus grande concentration des glaces le réduit, ce qui atténue l’effet de la vitesse du vent. Des travaux futurs devraient étendre la surveillance à d’autres emplacements de l’Arctique, modéliser les répercussions de l’intensification des activités humaines sur les niveaux de bruit ambiant et prévoir les répercussions de ces niveaux changeants sur les animaux marins

Underwater noise and Arctic marine mammals: review and policy recommendations

Underwater noise is an important issue globally. Underwater noise can cause auditory masking, behavioural disturbance, hearing damage, and even death for marine animals. While underwater noise levels have been increasing in nonpolar regions, noise levels are thought to be much lower in the Arctic where the presence of sea ice limits anthropogenic activities. However, climate change is causing sea ice to decrease, which is allowing for increased access for noisy anthropogenic activities. Underwater noise may have more severe impacts in the Arctic compared with nonpolar regions due to a combination of lower ambient sound levels and increased sensitivity of Arctic marine animals to underwater noise. Here, we review ambient sound levels in the Arctic, as well as the reactions of Arctic and sub-Arctic marine mammals to underwater noise. We then relate what is known about underwater noise in the Arctic to policies and management solutions for underwater noise and discuss whether Arctic-specific policies are necessary.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Seasonal patterns in acoustic detections of marine mammals near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories

The Arctic is changing rapidly, leading to changes in habitat availability and increased anthropogenic disturbance. Information on the distribution of animals is needed as these changes occur. We examine seasonal presence of marine mammals in the western Canadian Arctic near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, using passive acoustic monitoring between 2015 and 2016. We also examined the influence of environmental variables (ice concentration and distance, wind speed) on presence of these species. Both bowhead and beluga whales arrived in late April, and belugas departed in mid-August, while bowheads departed in late-October. Bearded seals vocalizations began in October, peaked from April through June, and stopped in early July. Ringed seals vocalized occasionally in all months, but were generally quiet. Whales migrated in as the ice broke up, and migrated out before ice formed in the autumn. Bearded seals started vocalizing as ice formed, and stopped once ice was almost gone. Given the importance of sea ice to the timing of migration of whales and vocalization by bearded seals, the trends that we present here may change in the future due to the increasing ice-free season caused by climate change. Our study therefore serves as a baseline with which to monitor future change.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

The Underwater Soundscape of Minto Inlet, Northwest Territories, Canada

Passive acoustic monitoring is a powerful tool for observing soniferous species in remote marine environments over long periods of time, which can inform conservation planning and wildlife management. In this study, we collected seven months of passive acoustic data from early February to early September 2019 in Minto Inlet, Northwest Territories, Canada, to examine the seasonal presence of four species of marine mammals and unidentified fish species, examine drivers of underwater sound levels, and quantify underwater noise from vessel traffic. Bearded seals were vocally present from mid-March to early July. Ringed seals were present in every month. Beluga whales were present from early July until September. Bowhead whales were detected from April to August, and fish were detected from February to July. Underwater sound levels were dampened by the presence of landfast sea ice and increased with wind speed. Increased bearded seal calls also caused increased sound levels. The only vessel detected was the research vessel that recovered the acoustic recorder. Underwater sound levels were much lower in Minto Inlet compared to other areas in the region, and it appears to be an important site for many marine mammals where forage fish species, primarily Arctic cod, are abundant at depth. These results are in line with Minto Inlet being identified as an important area by the community of Ulukhaktok. At present, anthropogenic impact on this area appears to be very low, but further monitoring is required to determine if any management measures are necessary to maintain these low levels.La surveillance acoustique passive est un outil puissant pour observer les espèces sonifères des milieux marins éloignés sur de longues périodes, ce qui permet d’éclairer la gestion de la faune et la planification de la conservation. Dans le cadre de cette étude, nous avons recueilli des données acoustiques passives échelonnées sur sept mois, du début de février au début de septembre 2019 à l’inlet Minto, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada, dans le but d’examiner la présence saisonnière de quatre espèces de mammifères marins et d’espèces de poissons non identifiées, de nous pencher sur les facteurs à la base des niveaux sonores sous-marins et de quantifier le bruit sous-marin émanant de la circulation des navires. Le son des phoques barbus s’est fait entendre de la mi-mars au début de juillet. Les phoques annelés étaient présents pendant chacun des mois. Les bélugas étaient présents du début de juillet jusqu’en septembre. Des baleines boréales ont été détectées d’avril à août, et des poissons ont été décelés de février à juillet. Les niveaux sonores sous-marins ont été étouffés par la présence de glace de rive rapide et se sont accrus avec la vitesse du vent. L’intensification des vocalises du phoque barbu a également eu pour effet d’accroître les niveaux sonores. Le seul navire détecté a été le navire de recherche qui a récupéré l’enregistreur acoustique. Les niveaux sonores sous-marins étaient nettement inférieurs dans l’inlet Minto comparativement aux autres zones de la région. Il semble qu’il s’agisse d’un lieu privilégié par de nombreux mammifères marins et où les espèces de poissons à fourrage, principalement la morue polaire, abondent en profondeur. Ces résultats concordent avec la grande importance qu’accorde la communauté d’Ulukhaktok à l’inlet Minto. En ce moment, l’incidence anthropique sur cet endroit semble très faible, mais d’autres travaux de surveillance s’imposent afin de déterminer s’il y a lieu d’adopter des mesures de gestion pour maintenir ces faibles niveaux

Acoustic detections of Arctic marine mammals near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories

The Arctic marine environment is changing rapidly through a combination of sea ice loss and increased anthropogenic activity. Given these changes can affect marine animals in a variety of ways, understanding the spatial and temporal distributions of Arctic marine animals is imperative. We use passive acoustic monitoring to examine the presence of marine mammals near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada, from October 2016 to April 2017. We documented bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758) and beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776) vocalizations later into the autumn than expected, and we recorded bowhead whales in early April. We recorded ringed seal (Pusa hispida Schreber, 1775) vocalizations throughout our deployment, with higher vocal activity than in other studies, and with peak vocal activity in January. We recorded bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus Erxleben, 1777) throughout the deployment, with peak vocal activity in February. We recorded lower bearded seal vocal activity than other studies, and almost no vocal activity near the beginning of the spring breeding season. Both seal species vocalized more when ice concentration was high. These patterns in vocal activity document the presence of each species at this site over autumn and winter, and are a useful comparison for future monitoring.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author