Fri, March 20, 2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS RESEARCH LABORATORY (AERL). IOF Seminar Series
Speaker: Dr. Sarah Fortune
Postdoctoral Fellow, Marine Mammal Research Unit
Location: AERL Theatre
Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowhead whales are among the most mysterious large-whales in the world, as they inhabit sparsely populated regions of the Canadian Arctic. Consequently, little is known about when and where they feed and on what. Dr. Sarah Fortune and her collaborators used new technologies to gain insights aerially (drones) and underwater (biologgers and prey sampling) about the primary prey and foraging behaviour of this understudied species. They also used long-term satellite telemetry tags equipped with time-depth recorders to determine where key foraging habitats occurred throughout their range. Using this comprehensive approach, the team made new discoveries about the diet, feeding behaviour and ecology of the species.