Towards a better understanding of the benefits and risks of country food consumption using the case of walruses in Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada)

Food insecurity affects Inuit communities. One solution is to consume locally harvested foods, named country foods. However, some country foods are not eaten as often as before, and pressures including contaminants and environmental changes threaten the health of Arctic fauna, thus its suitability for local consumption. By combining Inuit Knowledge with laboratory data, our study assessed the benefits and risks of walrus consumption by Inuit in Nunavik, Québec, Canada. It aimed to increase understanding of: 1) the hunt of healthy Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus); 2) the safe preparation of walruses; 3) the nutritional benefits and risks of consuming walruses. To do so, we interviewed 34 hunters and Elders from Nunavik. Levels of mercury, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and selenium were evaluated from locally harvested walruses. Through the Nunavik Trichinellosis Prevention Program, a total of 755 Atlantic walrus samples, collected between 1994 and 2013, were tested for Trichinella nativa. Information on botulism was reviewed. While interviews informed on how to select healthy walruses and prepare them for consumption, laboratory analyses revealed that walruses had elevated levels of omega-3 fatty acids and selenium but low levels of mercury compared to some other wildlife. Only 3% of the 755 walruses were infected with T. nativa. Most walruses' infections were found within individuals from the South East Hudson Bay stock, where Inuit have thus decided to stop hunting since mid-2000s. Finally, although the number of outbreaks of trichinellosis related to the consumption of walruses has significantly reduced in Nunavik, botulism could continue to be an issue when igunaq (i.e. aged walrus) is not properly prepared. With the support of the Nunavik Trichinellosis Prevention Program and transmission of Inuit knowledge on igunaq preparation, the consumption of Atlantic walruses has the potential to help address issues related to food insecurity in Nunavik in the future

The Comet Interceptor Mission

Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum ΔV capability of 600 ms−1. Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule

Towards a Better Understanding of the Effects of UV on Atlantic Walruses, <i>Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus</i>: A Study Combining Histological Data with Local Ecological Knowledge

<div><p>Walruses, <i>Odobenus rosmarus</i>, play a key role in the Arctic ecosystem, including northern Indigenous communities, which are reliant upon walruses for aspects of their diet and culture. However, walruses face varied environmental threats including rising sea-water temperatures and decreasing ice cover. An underappreciated threat may be the large amount of solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) that continues to reach the Arctic as a result of ozone loss. UV has been shown to negatively affect whales. Like whales, walrus skin is unprotected by fur, but in contrast, walruses spend long periods of time hauled-out on land. In this study, we combined the results of histological analyses of skin sections from five Atlantic walruses, <i>Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus</i>, collected in Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada) with qualitative data obtained through the interviews of 33 local walrus hunters and Inuit Elders. Histological analyses allowed us to explore UV-induced cellular lesions and interviews with experienced walrus hunters and Elders helped us to study the incidences and temporal changes of UV-induced gross lesions in walruses. At the microscopic scale, we detected a range of skin abnormalities consistent with UV damage. However, currently such UV effects do not seem to be widely observed at the whole-animal level (i.e., absence of skin blistering, erythema, eye cataract) by individuals interviewed. Although walruses may experience skin damage under normal everyday UV exposure, the long-term data from local walrus hunters and Inuit Elders did not report a relation between the increased sun radiation secondary to ozone loss and walrus health.</p></div

Map of Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada), showing the four communities involved in the project (Inukjuak, Ivujivik, Quaqtaq and Kangiqsualujjuaq).

<p>The quadrat show the limits of the base maps used to gather spatial data of walruses during the interviews (e.g., where walruses have been observed). Base maps in both English and Inuktitut of the areas surrounding participating communities were created using the geographic information system software ArcMap 10.1 (Digital vector datasets: RNCan-National Topographic Database). The scale of the maps, varied between 1:100,000 and 1:450,000 depending on the extent of walrus hunting areas provided by the local Hunters Fishers and Trappers Association during our first visit. A large scale, regional map (scale: 1:2,000,000) was also created. The mapping process of the interviews followed guidelines previously described [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0152122#pone.0152122.ref038" target="_blank">38</a>]. The red areas correspond to the areas where walruses were reported by participants. The five walruses sampled in the study were hunted in the red area around Quaqtaq (latitude between 60.3975°N and 61.0775°N, longitude between 69.6339°W and 68.1703°W).</p

Sections of the dorsal skin of three walruses stained with H&E (microscope magnification X40; b & d correspond to the same walrus).

<p>a) The different layers of walrus’ skin. b) Examples of cells showing cytoplasmic vacuolation (indicated by arrows). c) An example of a sunburn cell (note the shrunken nucleus indicated by the arrow). d) An example of a microvesicle and intracellular edema (indicated by arrows). Walruses’ skin samples were collected during the Inuit subsistence walrus hunt near Quaqtaq in July 2013 and 2014.</p

Walrus skin pigmentation.

<p>a) Walrus’ dorsal skin sections showing the presence of melanin in the epidermis. Melanin is produced in the melanocytes, which become dendritic to distribute the melanin to the neighbor epidermis cells called keratinocytes. b) Prevalence of melanin and dendritic melanocytes observed in the samples obtained from the dorsal region of the walruses (dark grey bars; total number of dorsal samples = 5) and ventral samples (light grey bars; total number of ventral samples = 4). The binary response data used for melanin and dendritic melanocytes were: zero = absence; one = presence. Prevalence is provided on the bars. Bars +/- SE. Raw data are available in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0152122#pone.0152122.s002" target="_blank">S1 Table</a>. c) and d) Skin samples of around 1cm³ obtained from the dorsal (c) and ventral (d) regions of the walrus body. The photographs show the highly pigmented skin (dark color) of the dorsal sample compared with the less pigmented skin of the ventral sample (light color).</p

Presence of cellular lesions observed in the samples obtained from the dorsal region of the walruses (dark grey bars; total number of dorsal samples = 5) and the samples obtained from the ventral region of the walruses (light grey bars; total number of ventral samples = 4).

<p>The binary response data used for microvesicles were: zero = absence; one = presence, and for sunburn cells, cytoplasmic vacuolation and intracellular edema: zero = absent or low levels, and one = high levels and widely distributed. Raw data are available in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0152122#pone.0152122.s002" target="_blank">S1 Table</a>. Percentages are provided on the bars. Bars ± SE.</p

Inuit knowledge of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) and perspectives on declining abundance in southeastern Hudson Bay, Canada.

The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea; takatakiaq in Inuttitut) breeds in the circumpolar Arctic and undertakes the longest known annual migration. In recent decades, Arctic Tern populations have been declining in some parts of their range, and this has been a cause of concern for both wildlife managers and Indigenous harvesters. However, limited scientific information is available on Arctic Tern abundance and distribution, especially within its breeding range in remote areas of the circumpolar Arctic. Knowledge held by Inuit harvesters engaged in Arctic Tern egg picking can shed light on the ecology, regional abundance and distribution of this marine bird. We conducted individual interviews and a workshop involving 12 Inuit harvesters and elders from Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik (northern Québec), Canada, to gather their knowledge of Arctic Tern cultural importance, ecology, and stewardship. Interview contributors reported a regional decline in Arctic Tern numbers which appeared in the early 2000s on nesting islands near Kuujjuaraapik. Six possible factors were identified: (1) local harvest through egg picking; (2) nest disturbance and predation; (3) abandonment of tern nesting areas (i.e., islands that have become connected to the mainland due to isostatic rebound); (4) climate change; (5) natural abundance cycles within the Arctic Tern population; and (6) decline of the capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the region. Recommendations from Inuit contributors related to Arctic Tern stewardship and protection included: (1) conduct more research; (2) let nature take its course; (3) conduct an awareness campaign; (4) implement an egg picking ban; (5) coordinate local egg harvest; (6) start 'tern farming'; (7) protect Arctic Terns across their migration route; and (8) harvest foxes predating on terns. Our study highlighted complementarities between Inuit knowledge and ecological science, and showed that Inuit harvesters can make substantial contributions to ongoing and future Arctic tern research and management initiatives