A review of Canadian Arctic killer whale (Orcinus orca) ecology

• Main Authors: Lefort, Kyle John, Matthews, Cory J.D., Higdon, Jeff W, Petersen, Stephen D., Westdal, Kristin H., Garroway, Colin J., Ferguson, Steven H.
• Format: Review
• Language: unknown
• Published: NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing) 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; inuit; Killer Whale; Orca; Orcinus orca; Sea ice; Killer whale
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/99853; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjz-2019-0207

The killer whale (Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) is a widely distributed marine predator with a broad ecological niche at the species level with evidence of specialization and narrow ecological niches among populations. Their occurrence in Canadian Arctic waters is limited by sea ice and it has been suggested that climate warming, which has caused increases in the area of ice-free water and duration of the ice-free season, has led to an increased killer whale presence during the open-water period. In this review, we summarize our knowledge of Canadian Arctic killer whale demographics and ecology, synthesizing published and previously unpublished information in a single document. More specifically, we summarize our knowledge of killer whale population size and trends, distribution and seasonality (including results from recent satellite-tracking studies), feeding ecology, and threats, and identify research priorities in the Canadian Arctic. Despite increased research effort during the past decade, our demographic and ecological knowledge remains incomplete. An improved ecological understanding is necessary for effective management of killer whales and their prey, species of ecological, economic, and cultural importance to Canadian Inuit and to the marine ecosystem. This knowledge will allow us to better understand the ecological consequences of a changing Arctic climate. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.