Ecological monitoring of polar bears and seals in Nunavut a step toward the future.

This ringed seal movement project is focused on the great Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin regions. Concerns have arisen over possible declines in ringed seal numbers in nearby western Hudson Bay as indicated by reduced pregnancy rate, pup survival and abundance, and older age structure. The condition of polar bears, the main predator of ringed seals, has also declined in Hudson Bay. Ringed seals are numerically, nutritionally, and economically one of the most important marine mammal species to Inuit communities of Hudson Bay, so knowledge of where and how seals use the bay is needed. This research is nested within a larger study that will build predictive models of seal reproduction, survival, feeding habits and movements relative to the ocean ecosystem and seasonal changes in sea-ice distribution. The conservation goal is to minimize any negative impact that climate warming and increased human economic activities may have on ringed seals in Hudson Bay. The proposed research is needed to assess the health status of the Hudson Bay ringed seal population and provide management criteria to preserve this species as the most important food for polar bears, cultural and economic resources for Inuit, and a genetic reservoir for the species in the Arctic. Movements of ringed seals in the greater Hudson Bay have been documented by Inuit through Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), but this knowledge is lacking from the scientific perspective, which has been improved by recent technological advances that include satellite tracking. Foraging habitat and behaviour, determined through diving patterns associated with locations, have never been documented for Hudson Bay ringed seals. Migration patterns and feeding habits of the different age classes and sexes, as well as pup survival, estimated through spring habitat characteristics, are critical for understanding population dynamics and building predictive models to forecast how the ringed seal population in Hudson Bay will respond to changes due to climate warming. The proposed study will therefore provide information necessary to assess how the current trends in climate change will affect thehabitat, behaviour and survival of ringed seals in Hudson Bay, and to suggest what measures could be taken to minimize the associated negative impacts on this population to maintain a hunted stock.