Inuit observations of a Tunicata bloom unusual for the Amundsen Gulf, western Canadian Arctic

Arctic Science

article

Harri Pettitt-Wade¹  Tristan Pearce²  David Kuptana³  Colin P. Gallagher⁴  Kevin Scharffenberg⁴  Ellen V. Lea⁵  Nigel E. Hussey¹  Lisa L. Loseto⁴ 

[1] University of Windsor;University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way;Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee;Freshwater Institute, 501 University Crescent;Fisheries and Oceans Canada;Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba

关键词: appendicularian;    Amundsen Gulf;    Inuit observation;    climate change;    knowledge co-production;    Uumayut hauniitut;    Admundsen Gulfmi;    Inuit tautukpaktait;    Nunam aalangujuhia;    ilihimaliktavut attauttitun havakluta.;   

DOI  :  10.1139/as-2020-0018

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: NRC Research Press

【 摘 要 】

Inuit are at the forefront of ecosystem change in the Arctic, yet their observations and interpretations are rarely reported in the literature. Climate change impacts are rapidly unfolding in the Arctic and there is a need for monitoring and reporting unique observations. In this short communication, we draw upon observations and experiential knowledge from western Canadian Inuit (Inuvialuit) harvesters combined with a scientific assessment to describe and interpret an unusual account of gelatinous organisms at high densities during summer 2019 in eastern Amundsen Gulf, near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. The gelatinous organisms were identified as primarily appendicularian larvaceans ( Oikopleura spp., pelagic tunicates) and their gelatinous “houses”. The organisms were observed within 3–5 km of the marine coast, from ∼1–2 m below the surface and to depths of ∼30 m with an underwater camera. Pelagic tunicates have rarely been documented in the eastern Amundsen Gulf and, to our knowledge, this was the first time these organisms had been noted by the people of Ulukhaktok. The pelagic tunicates clogged subsistence fishing nets and Inuvialuit harvesters were concerned about negative impacts to marine mammals and fishes, which they depend on for food security. These interpretations highlight major knowledge gaps for appendicularians in the Arctic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY