Marine mammal hotspots in the Greenland and Barents Seas

Abstract

Environmental change and increasing levels of human activity are threats to marine mam- mals in the Arctic. Identifying marine mammal hot - spots and areas of high species richness are essential to help guide management and conservation efforts. Herein, space use based on biotelemetric tracking devices deployed on 13 species (ringed seal <i>Pusa hispida</i>, bearded seal <i>Erignathus barbatus</i> , harbour seal <i>Phoca vitulina</i>, walrus <i>Odobenus rosmarus</i>, harp seal <i>Pagophilus groenlandicus</i>, hooded seal <i>Cysto - phora cristata</i>, polar bear <i>Ursus maritimus</i> , bowhead whale <i>Balaena mysticetus</i>, narwhal <i>Monodon mono- ceros</i>, white whale <i>Delphinapterus leucas</i> , blue whale <i>Balaenoptera musculus</i> , fin whale <i>Balaeno - ptera</i> phy salus and humpback whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>; total = 585 individuals) in the Green- land and northern Barents Seas between 2005 and 2018 is reported. Getis−Ord Gi* hotspots were calcu- lated for each species as well as all species combined, and areas of high species richness were identified for summer/autumn (Jun−Dec), winter/spring (Jan− May) and the entire year. The marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Greenland Sea and northern Barents Sea, the waters surrounding the Svalbard Archipel- ago and a few Northeast Greenland coastal sites were identified as key marine mammal hotspots and areas of high species richness in this region. Individ- ual hotspots identified areas important for most of the tagged animals, such as common resting, nursing, moulting and foraging areas. Location hotspots iden- tified areas heavily used by segments of the tagged populations, including denning areas for polar bears and foraging areas. The hotspots identified herein are also important habitats for seabirds and fishes, and thus conservation and management measures targeting these regions would benefit multiple groups of Arctic animals.