WH A T W E H A V E L E A R N E D
Unusual seabird die-offs were observed in 2017-2019 in the Bering Strait Region
The nutrient-rich Anadyr Current to the north and west of St. Lawrence Island had more overall marine mammal detections and more diversity of marine mammals than did the region to the east of St. Lawrence Island. Coastal residents have experienced reduced food security More strong winds and storms, plus the more rapid spring break-up of sea ice, have reduced the duration of good hunting conditions available for many coastal communities to pursue the harvest of marine mammals. The timing of marine mammal migrations has shifted and increased commercial ship traffic has sometimes made marine mammals wary and harder to hunt. In some instances, however, later freeze-up and earlier break-up of sea ice have created new hunting opportunities, such as fall and winter whaling on St. Lawrence Island. Hanasaki crabs are now common around St. Lawrence Island, where they are now harvested as food. Salmon have become more common around Utqiaġvik, where they may displace the whitefish that many people prefer to catch. Additionally, more rain in summer has made it harder to dry meat and fish via traditional methods, often resulting in more spoilage. Warmer weather has led to flooding of some ice cellars and loss of stored food, as well as the inability to continue using this traditional storage methods in many locations.
Several species of seabirds were affected, including some that eat zooplankton (like the auklets) and others that consume fishes (primarily murres and shearwaters and smaller numbers of other species). The proximate cause of death of examined birds was starvation, but some birds that died in 2018 had levels of saxitoxin that have previously been associated with large die-offs, so the potential influence of harmful algal blooms cannot be discounted. Subarctic marine mammals stayed in the Arctic through the fall and early winter Hydrophones that listen for marine mammal calls detected subarctic species like humpback, killer, and fin whales from June to late November/early December. These species were often recorded at the same time as Arctic species such as bowhead whales and belugas. They may compete for food with Arctic animals and the presence of killer whales suggests that these predators are common in winter. During winter months, Arctic marine mammals including walrus, bearded seals, bowhead and beluga whales were commonly recorded throughout the study area, but especially to the north and west of St. Lawrence Island. We recorded ribbon seals less often.
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