Winter Distribution of Ringed Seals ( Phoca hispida ) in the Barrow Strait Area, Northwest Territories, Determined by Underwater Vocalizations

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Calvert, Wendy, Stirling, Ian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1985
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic; Northwest Territories; Barrow Strait; Phoca hispida
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f85-153; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f85-153

In order to assess underice distribution of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) in winter, we made recordings from 23 to 30 April 1982 at 32 sites chosen to represent different habitats in the High Arctic. By regressing the vocalization rate at each site against variables for habitat quality, we found that sites in smooth interisland channels had significantly more vocalizations than sites in bays, and sites with frequent human activity had vocalization rates similar to the overall average. Although differences in vocalization rates correlated with some measured and estimated habitat variables, there was too much overlap between sites for vocalization rate alone to be useful in separating suitable and unsuitable pupping habitat. Recordings made at one site over 4 d showed a diel cycle in which vocalization rate was highest from about 08:30 to 16:30 and lowest at night.