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Distinct patterns of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) presence and absence in a shallow high Arctic embayment, revealed across open-water and ice-covered periods through acoustic telemetry

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Abstract

With climate change resulting in unpredictable sea ice conditions between years, it is crucial to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subsequent effects on Arctic marine ecosystems. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) play a key role in the Arctic marine food web, serving as a food source that is estimated to contribute up to 75 % of energy transfer to higher trophic levels. To investigate Arctic cod residency and distribution in Resolute Bay (74°44′N, 095°04′W), 85 individuals from four locations in the bay were captured, measured, weighed, implanted with acoustic tags and subsequently tracked on an acoustic array of 49 receivers. Two main periods of residence in the bay were identified, the first in open water and the second under ice cover, and both concluded with a collective mass departure of fish. A generalised linear mixed model was used to investigate the influence of variables on Arctic cod presence/absence in the bay, indicating that ingress and egress were influenced by environmental changes, particularly those associated with the transition from open-water to the ice-covered period. Timing and distribution, during the study period, appeared to be influenced by a combination of physiological acclimation, and a balance between resource availability and refuge from predators. Receiver site Residence Index (RI) analysis revealed strong site fidelity of fish towards the northern areas of the bay, and this behaviour was consistent between tagging groups and individuals, indicating that the majority of tagged cod were representative of a single school. This study represents the first employment of acoustic telemetry to monitor the movements of individual Arctic cod over 9 months, incorporating both open-water and ice-covered periods.

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Acknowledgments

Support for this project was provided by funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI; International Joint Ventures Fund) through the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), and by the Polar Continental Shelf Program (PCSP), Environment Canada. Permissions from Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Resolute Hunters and Trappers Association and Government of Nunanvut. Field support from Peter and Jeffery Amarualik, Nathaniel Kalluk, Debbie Iqaluk, Robert Currie, Emma Murowinski, Robert Cook, Mia and Tony Gaston. Content consolation and proof reading from Tim Johnson and Abby Nease. A special thank you to all the staff at the PCSP Resolute facility for superb logistical support. We would finally like to thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their thorough and highly constructive comments on the earlier draft of this manuscript, which improved the current version.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada

    S. T. Kessel, N. E. Hussey, D. J. Yurkowski & A. T. Fisk

  2. Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA

    R. E. Crawford

  3. School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada

    C. V. O’Neill

Authors
  1. S. T. Kessel
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  2. N. E. Hussey
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  4. D. J. Yurkowski
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  5. C. V. O’Neill
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  6. A. T. Fisk
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Correspondence to S. T. Kessel.

Additional information

This article belongs to the special issue on the “Ecology of Artic Gadids”, coordinated by Franz Mueter, Jasmine Nahrgang, John Nelson, and Jørgen Berge.

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Kessel, S.T., Hussey, N.E., Crawford, R.E. et al. Distinct patterns of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) presence and absence in a shallow high Arctic embayment, revealed across open-water and ice-covered periods through acoustic telemetry. Polar Biol 39, 1057–1068 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1723-y

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