Structure and function of the western Baffin Bay coastal and shelf ecosystem
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https://hdl.handle.net/10037/30030Date
2023-02-16Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Author
Pedro, Sara; Lemire, Mélanie; Hoover, Carie; Saint-Béat, Blanche; Janjua, Muhammad Y.; Herbig, Jennifer; Geoffroy, Maxime; Yunda-Guarin, Gustavo; Moisan, Marie-Ange; Boissinot, Justin; Tremblay, Jean-Éric; Little, Matthew; Chan, Laurie; Babin, Marcel; Kenny, Tiff-Annie; Maps, FrédéricAbstract
Arctic marine species, from benthos to fish and mammals, are essential for food security and sovereignty of
Inuit people. Inuit food security is dependent on the availability, accessibility, quality, and sustainability of
country food resources. However, climate change effects are threatening Inuit food systems through changes in
abundance and nutritional quality of locally harvested species, while foundational knowledge of Arctic food
webs remains elusive. Here, we summarized scientific knowledge available for the western Baffin Bay coastal
and shelf ecosystem by building a food web model using the Ecopath with Ecosim modeling framework. Based on
this model, we calculated ecological network analysis indices to describe structure and function of the system.
We used Linear Inverse Modeling and Monte Carlo analysis to assess parameter uncertainty, generating plausible
parameterizations of this ecosystem from which a probability density distribution for each index was
generated. Our findings suggest that the system is controlled by intermediate trophic levels, highlighting
the key role of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) as prey fish, as well as the importance of other less studied
groups like cephalopods in controlling energy flows. Most of the ecosystem biomass is retained in the system,
with very little lost to subsistence harvest and commercial fisheries, indicating that these activities were
within a sustainable range during the modeling period. Our model also highlights the scientific knowledge gaps
that still exist (e.g., species abundances), including valued harvest species like Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus),
walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), and seals, and importantly our poor understanding of the system in winter. Moving
forward, we will collaborate with Inuit partners in Qikiqtarjuaq, NU, Canada, to improve this modeling tool by
including Inuit knowledge. This tool thus serves as a starting point for collaborative discussions with Inuit
partners and how its use can better inform local and regional decision-making regarding food security.
Publisher
University of California PressCitation
Pedro, Lemire, Hoover, Saint-Béat, Janjua, Herbig, Geoffroy, Yunda-Guarin, Moisan, Boissinot, Tremblay, Little, Chan, Babin, Kenny, Maps. Structure and function of the western Baffin Bay coastal and shelf ecosystem. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. 2023;11(1)Metadata
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