Harbour Seals ,in the Lacs des ~oups Marins and eastern Hudson Bay drainage

T . G . Smith and G . Horonowitsch

Arctic Biological Station Department of Fisheries and Oceans

- 555 St . Pierre Blvd . ' -. -Ste . Anne de Bellevue, Que. H9X 3R4

,-

-. November 1987 -.

Canadian Technical Report ~ f $ ~ ~ . . ~ - ' Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

. 1536 .- I.

Canadian Technical Report of

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

These reports contain scientific and technical information that represents a n important contribution to existing knowledge but which for some reason may not be appropriate for primary scientific (Le. Journal) publication. Technical Reports are directed primarily towards a worldwide audience and have an international distribution. No restriction is placed on subject matter and the series reflects the broad iilterests and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, namely, fisheries management, technology and development, ocean sciences, and aquatic environments relevant to Canada.

Technical Reports may be cited as full publications. The correct citation appears above the abstract of each report. Each report will be abstracted in Aquatic Sciences und Fisheries Abstracts and will be indexed annually in the Department's index to scientific and technical publications.

Numbers 1-456 in this series were issued as Technical Reports of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Numbers 457-714 were issued as Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Marine Service, Research and Development Directorate Technical Reports. Numbers 715-924 were issued as Department of Fisheries and the Environment, Fisheries and Marine Service Technical Reports. The current series name was changed with report number 925.

Details on the availability of Technical Reports in hard copy may be obtained from the issuing establishment indicated on the front cover.

Rapport technique canadien des

sciences halieutiques et aquatiques

Ces rapports contiennent des renseignements scientifiques et techniques qui constituent une contribution importante aux connaissances actuelles mais qui, pour une raison ou pour une autre, ne semblent pas appropriés pour la publication dans un journal scientifique. I l n'y a aucune restriction quant a u sujet, de fait, la série reflète la vaste gamme des intérêts et des politiques du Ministère des Pêches et des Océans, notamment gestion des pêches, techniques et développement, sciences océaniques et environnements aquatiques, au Canada.

Les Rapports techniques peuvent être considérés comme des publications complètes. Le titre exact paraîtra au haut du résumé de chaque rapport, qui sera publié dans la revue Aqriatic Sciences and Fisheries Ahstracts et qui figurera dans l'index annuel des publications scientifiques et techniques du Ministère.

Les numéros 1-456 de cette série ont été publiés à titre de Rapports techniques de l'Office des recherches sur les pêcheries du Canada. Les numéros 457-714, à titre de Rapports techniques de la Direction générale de la recherche et du développement, Service des pêches et de la mer, ministère de l'Environnement. Les numéros 715-924 ont été publiés à titre de Rapports techniques du Service des pêches et de la mer, Ministère des Pêches et de l'Environnement. Le nom de la série a été modifié à partir du numéro 925.

La page couverture porte le nom de l'établissement auteur où l'on peut se procurer les rapports sous couverture cartonnée.

Canadi an T e c h n i c a l Repor t o f F i s h e r i e s and A q u a t i c Sc iences 1536

Novernber 1987

Harbou r Sea ls i n t h e Lacs des Loups Mar ins and e a s t e r n Hudson Bay d r a i n a g e

Thomas G. Smi th and George H o r o n o w i t s c i i

A r c t i c B i o l o g i c a l S t a t i o n Departrnent o f F i s h e r i e s and Oceans

555 S t . P i e r r e B o u l e v a r d S t e . Anne de S e l l e v u e , Québec

H9X 3R4

( c ) M i n i s t e r o f S u p p l y and S e r v i c e s Canada 1987

L a t . No. Fs 97-6 /1536 ISSN 0706-6457

C o r r e c t c i t a t i o n f o r t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n :

S q i t h , T.G. and G. H o r o n o w i t s c h . 1987. Harbour S e a l s i n t h e Lacs des i o u p s M a r i n s and e a s t e r n Hudson Hay d r 3 i n a c ~ . Can. Tech. Rep. F i s h . 4 q u a t . S c i . 1536: i v + 17 p .

i i i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

RESUME

1 NTRODUCTION

METHODS

RESULTS

D I S C U S S I O N

RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES

L I S T OF F I G U R E S

Sinith, T.G, and G. l i o r o n o w i t s c h . 1987. Harhour s e a l s i n t h e Lacs des Loups M a r i n s and e a s t e r n Hudson Bay d r a i n a g e . Can. Tech. Rep. F i s h . Aquat . S c i . 1536: i v + 17 p.

A e r i a l s u r v e y s were f l o w n i n t h e Làcs des Loup3 X u ~ i n - , u r c ~ durinn l ,'Y + h - ,,tic.

p e r i o d 18 F e b r u a r y t o 6 March 1986. We l o c a t e d 12 s i t e s where s i g n i f i c a n t open wa te r e x i s t e d i n t h e l a k e s ' system. No s e a l s were seen hau led -ou t a t any o f t h e s e s i t e s , b u t numerous o t h e r t r a c k s were observed. Ne camped a t

c i t ~ m i ? : . r ~ y a l o n g t h e nar rows o f Lacs des Loups Mar ins (app rox . 56"311N, 73O46'W) on 3-4 Piarch. There we made one o b s e r v a t i o n o f a h a r b o u r sea l swimming i n an a rea o f open water a p p r o x i r n a t e l y 150 x 700 in i n e x t e n t . U n d e r - i c e s h o r e l i n e s h e l t e r s caused by l o w e r e d wa te r l e v e l s i n t h e w i n t e r m i g h t p r o v i d e i m p o r t a n t r e s t i n g s i t e s f o r s e a l s , p r o t e c t i n g them frorn low t e m p e r a t u r e s and p r e d a t o r s . I t i s i m p o s s i b l e a t p r e s e n t t o e i t h e r e s t i m a t e t h e numbers o f s e a l s o r a s c e r t a i n whe the r t h e p o p u l a t i o n i n Lacs des Loups M a r i n s i s a c l o s e d one. The s u b - s p e c i f i c s t a t u s o f t h e s e a l s i s by no means d e f i n i t e . R a d i o - t e l e m e t r y s t u d i e s m i g h t be t h e b e s t approach f o r f u t u r e i n v e s t i g a t i o n s .

Key words: h a r b o u r s e a l , Phoca v i t u l i n a , a e r i a l survey , l a c s des Loups M a r i n s

Smith, T.G. e t G. Ho ronow i t sch , 1987. Phoques Communs dans l e s Lacs des Loups M a r i n s e t l e B a s s i n Hyd rog raph ique de l ' e s t de l a B a i e d 'Hudson. Rapp. t e c h . can. s c i . h a l i e u t . aqua t , 1536: i v + 17 p.

Douze e n d r o i t s d ' e a u l i b r e o n t é t é r e p é r é s , l o r s d ' u n recensement a é r i e n accompl i e n t r e l e 18 f é v r i e r e t l e 6 mars 1986 dans l a r é g i o n des Lacs des Loups M a r i n s . Aucun phoque n ' a é t é ape rçu s u r l a g l a c e ou dans l e s b a s s i n s d ' e a u 1 i b r e , mais p l u s i e u r s p i s t e s d ' a u t r e s espèces de mammifères t e r r e s t r e s o n t é t é repé rées au b o r d des é tangs . Au campement du 3 e t 4 mars, s i t u é dans l a p a r t i e é t r o i t e à mi -chemin du Lac des Loups M a r i n s (app rox . 56O31'14, 73"46'W), un phoque commun nageant dans un é tang d ' u n e s u p e r f i c i e d ' e n v i r o n 150 x 700 m a été o b s e r v é . Les espaces sous 1 a g l a c e l e l o n g du l a c , dûs aux bas n i veaux d ' e a u pendant l ' h i v e r , peuvent s e r v i r d ' a b r i s aux phoques c o n t r e l e s i n t e m p é r i e s e t p r é d a t e u r s . Il e s t i m p o s s i b l e à ce s t a d e d ' e s t i m e r 1 ' abondance des phoques ou de c a r a c t é r i s e r l e u r p o p u l a t i o n ( e . g . p o p u l a t i o n fe rmée) aux Lacs des Loups M a r i n s . La taxonomie de ces phoques n ' a pas encore é t é d é f i n i e avec c e r t i t u d e . Pour des études f u t u r e s , 1 ' e m p l o i de méthodes de r a d i o - t é l é m é t r i e s e r a i t p r é f é r a b l e .

Mots c l é s : phoque cornmun, Phoca v i t u l i n a , recensement a é r i e n , 1 acs des --- - Loups M a r i n s

1 NTRODUCTION

I n response t o a need f o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e ha rbou r s e a l s

i n h a b i t i n g t h e Seal Lakes of t h e Ungava p e n i n s u l a we conducted a w i n t e r

a e r i a l s u r v e y and ground o b s e r v a t i o n s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d 18 F e b r u a r y t o 6

March 1986.

The p resence o f ha rbou r s e a l s i n t h e l a k e s o f t h e i n t e r i o r Ungava

p e n i n s u l a was f i r s t r e p o r t e d by Low (1898) . Twomey (1939) r e p o r t e d on two

specimens t a k e n n o r t h o f Lower Seal Lake i n March 1938. These were

d e s c r i b e d as a subspec ies Phoca v i t u l i n a m e l l o n a e b y U o u t t ( 1 9 4 2 ) . On a

r e t u r n suminer v i s i t t o t h e Lower Seal Lake area ( D o u t t 1954) o n l y 4 o r 5

s e a l s were s i g h t e d d u r i n g a 1 7 day s t a y and 00 specimens were c o l l e c t e d .

S ince t h a t t i m e s e a l s have been s i g h t e d and r e p o r t e d by s e v e r a l r e s e a r c h e r s

w o r k i n g i n t h e Seal Lake areas (Power and G r é g o i r e 1978; B e r r o u a r d 1984) .

S i g h t i n g s have been c o n f i n e d t o t h e Lower Seal Lake (Lacs des Loups M a r i n s )

a l t h o u g h t h e r e i s an i n d i c a t i o n from o l d r e p o r t s ( D o u t t 1942) t h a t I n d i a n s

had i n t h e p a s t hunted s e a l s i n Upper Seal Lake.

METHODS

Reconna isance f l i g h t s f r o m K u u j j u a r a p i k were f l o w n i n a s k i equ ipped

DHC-2 Beaver on 21 and 24 F e b r u a r y and 5 March 1986. The main shore1 i n e

and t r i b u t a r i e s o f Lower Seal Lake (Lacs des Loups M a r i n s ) were su rveyed

f r o m a l t i t u d e s o f 100-220 m A.G.L. ( F i g . 1). A l1 open water areas (OWA)

were n o t e d and s u b j e c t i v e l y e v a l u a t e d f o r t h e i r p o t e n t i a l as sea l

h a b i t a t s . T racks i n t h e snow were examined. A l a n d i n g was once r e q u i r e . 3

t o a s c e r t a i n whether a s e t o f t r a c k s was made by a s e a l .

911 3 î ld rch we e î t a b l i s h e d a camp a t 5b031'i\J, 73"46'W, an open wa te r

a r e a where Lower Seal Lake na r rows a p p r o x i m a t e l y nlidway a l o n g i t s t o t a l

e x t e n t . We rernained t h e r e i i n t i l 5 March d u r i n g wh ich t i n i e we watched f o r

s e a l s and made o b s e r v a t i o n s of t h e i c e and open water h a b i t a t .

RESULTS

D e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e a r e a - Lacs des Loups Mar ins (Lower Seal Lake) , h e r e a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o as

LLM, i s l o c a t e d between 56"18'11 t o 56"42'1V and 73'05'W t o 74"20tW ( F i g .

2 ) . I t i s a nar row and v e r y i r r e g u l a r l a k e w i t h hundreds o f i s l a n d s . The

b u l k o f t h e l a k e l i e s a long a SW-NE a x i s w i t h a c u r r e n t f l o w i n g SW f r o m

NE. It l i e s a t an a l t i t u d e of 249 rneters and c o n s i s t s o f 2 b a s i n s

connec ted hy a f a i r l y na r row passage, p a r t s o f wh ich do n o t f r e e z e due t o

s t r o n g c u r r e n t s and s h a l l o w dep th . I t s main o u t f l o w i s v i a t h e Nastapoka

r i v e r wh ich descends, g r a d u a l l y , about 160 k i l o m e t e r s , o v e r hundreds o f

r a p i d s , t owards Hudson Bay i n a s l i g h t l y N o f W d i r e c t i o n . Lac de Sem,

wh ich l i e s j u s t a few k n NE o f LLM, ernpt ies t o t h e NE t o f o r m t h e

headwaters o f t h e Mélèzes r i v e r .

The main t r i b u t a r i e s o f LLM o r i y i n a t e i n 4 r e s e r v o i r s : ( 1 ) Lac Bourde1

- NNW o f LLM - 249 rneters above sea l e v e l (same as LLM). There i s r a p i d

f l o w i n g open wa te r a t s i t e s #12 and #13 ( F i g . 3) i n nar rows between i t and

LLM. ( 2 ) P e t i t Lac des Loups M a r i n s - SSE of LLM - 317 m e t e r s above sea

l e v e l , w i t h r a p i d s a t s i t e s #9 and #10 ( F i g . 4 ) . ( 3 ) Lac Bourg - S o f LLM

- 283 rneters above sea l e v e l , w i t h a s e t o f r a p i d s a t s i t e #18 j o i n i n g i t

t o LLM ( F i g . 5 ) . ( 4 ) B a i e P i k u t a c h i k w - SE edge o f LLM - 254 m e t e r s above

sea l e v e l , w i t h a c o n n e c t i o n t o LLM a t s i t e # I l ( F i g . 6 ) . O the r OWA

r e s u l t i n g f r o m i n f l o w i n g c u r r e n t s were found a t s i t e s #6, #8, #19, and $20

( F i . 1 ) . O u t f l o w i n g c u r r e n t s prodiuced OWA a t s i t e #1 ( F i g s . 1 and 7 -

s t a r t o f t h e N a s t a p o k a ) . Si t e #4 ( F i g s . 1 & 8) wi t h e x t e n s i v e OWA was

l o c a t e d i n a n a r r o w i n g i n t h e mid s e c t i o n of L L M .

Ae r i a l R e c o n n a i s s a n c e - Three f l i g h t s l a s t i n g 8.25 h r s were f l own o v e r t h e s t u d y a r e a . We

i d e n t i f i e d 1 2 s i t e s (numbered 1-20; F i g . 1 ) where t h e r e was open w a t e r . A t

each o f t h e s e l o c a t i o r i s we c i r c l e d a t low a l t i t u d e l o o k i n g f o r s i g n s o f

s e a l s and took c a r e f u l n o t e o f t h e s u r r o u n d i n g h a b i t a t .

S i t e #1 Approx. 56"28 'N x 74'14'W ( F i g . 7 ) . S e r i e s o f p o o l s a l o n g main

channe l a t t h e head o f t h e Nas t apoka r i v e r . Main d r a i n a g e r o u t e

o u t o f t h e l a k e . R e r r o u a r d (1984) p h o t o g r a p h e d s e a l s n e a r t h e s e

p o o l s on 19 A p r i l 1984. F a s t f l o w i n g w a t e r w i t h o u t r a p i d s .

S i t e #4 Approx. 56'31'N x 73'46'W ( F i g . 8 ) . S e r i e s o f l a r g e p o o l s i n a

nar row p a s s a g e s e p a r a t i n g t h e 2 main b a s i n s c o n s t i t u t i n g L L M .

F a s t moving w a t e r w i t h o u t r a p i d s , f l o w i ~ g f rom NE t o SW.

B e r r o u a r d (1984) pho tog raphed s e a l s i n and n e a r t h e main pool on

A p r i l 15 and 19, 1984. We saw one s e a l swimming h e r e on '3 March,

1986.

S i t e #6 Approx. 56'39'11 x 73'13'W ( F i g . 1 ) . S i n g l e pool about 10 rli wide

and 1 m d e e p ; f a s t - i n o v i n g , 25 m l o n g . C u r r e n t f l o w i n g i n t o L L M .

We l anded h e r e t o i n v e s t i g a t e o t t e r t r a c k s .

S i t e #8 Approx. 56'43'11 x 7 3 ' 0 7 ' ~ ( F i n . 1 ) . Verv na r row s t r ~ a m s w i t h

OWA; f a s t lnoving and s h a l l o w , o r r a p i d s f l owi t î g i n t o L L M . A few

km N E o f h e r e i s Lac d e Sem which i s t h e h e a d w a t e r l a k e o f

R i v i è r e aux Né 1 è z e s .

S i t e #9 Approx. 56'32'iV x 73'12'W ( F i g . 4 ) . About 4 krri of r i v e r w i t h a

s e r i e s o f v e r y s t r o n g r a p i d s . T o t a l v e r t i c a l descent o f about 2 8

m. Water e n t e r i n g LLM f r o m P e t i t Lac des Loups Mar ins and

s o u t h e r n s o u r c e s .

S i t e #10 Approx. 5G030'1\1 x 73"Ù7'W ( F i g . 4 ) . About 4 km o f r i v e r w i t h a

s e r i e s o f OWA w i t h v a r y i n g r a t e s o f t u r b u l e n c e . T o t a l v e r t i c a l

d r o p i s about 22 m. Water e n t e r i n g LLM f r o m P e t i t Lac des Loups

Mar ins and e a s t e r n sou rces .

S i t e #11 Approx. 5G027 'N x 73'25'W ( F i g . 6 ) . Water descends about 5 m i n

l e s s t h a n 1 krn o v e r 3 o r 4 s e t s o f r a p i d s . P i k u t a c h i k w Bay

e n p t i ~ s t h r o u g h h e r c i n t o LLM. B e r r o u a r d (1984 ) s i g h t e d s e a l s

h e r e on 14 A p r i l , 1984.

S i t e #12 Approx. 56 '38 'N x 73'47'W ( F i g . 3 ) . See d e s c r i p t i o n f o r s i t e

513.

S i t e #13 Approx. 56 '39 'N x 73O49'W ( F i g . 3 ) . Nar row passaqes between Lac

Bourde l and LLM. Over a 3 km d i s t a n c e , s e v e r a l l a r g e p o o l s w i t h

f a s t f l o w i n g wa te r , even though t h e c h a r t s show no w a t e r - l e v e l

d i f f e r e n c e . B e r r o u a r d (1984) s i g h t e d 1 s e a l i n t h i s a r e a on 19

A p r i l 1984. We a l s o t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s t h e a r e a where D o u t t s h o t

h i s 2 t y p e specimens i n 1938 (Twomey 1939) . Upstream o f s i t e #13

a r e more OWA.

Lac Bourde l - T h i s rnaze o f l a n d and water has l e s s r e l i e f t h a n LLM. It

appears t o be s h a l l o w e r , i s l e s s d i s t i n c t and i t s s h o r e - l i n e i m p o s s i b l e t o

f o l l o w . It seerns t o be a w a t e r c o l l e c t i n g area f r o m n o r t h e r n and wes te rn

sou rces . It d r a i n s i n t o t h e I las tapoka; p r i r n a r i l y t h r o u g h t h e LLM t o t h e

sou theas t and a l s o d i r e c t l y t o t h e southwest .

S i t e #15 Approx . 56O19'N x 73O53'W ( F i g . 5 ) . T h i s s i t e i s about h a l f way

a l o n g a 13 km s t r e t c h o f r i v e r j o i n i n g Lac Bourg and LLM. There

a r e about 20 s e t s o f r a p i d s a l o n g t h i s waterway w i t h a m a j o r

w a t e r f a l l o c c u r r i n g o n l y near Lac Bourg. T o t a l d r o p i s about 30

m. The r i v e r i s n a r r o w and wa te r volume was n o t l a r g e .

S i t e #19 Approx. 5b015 ' x 74'00'W ( F i g . 1 ) . See d e s c r i p t i o n o f s i t e #20.

S i t e #20 Approx . 56 '20 ' x 74 '06 ' ( F i g . 1 ) .

S i t e s showing v e r y sma l l open wa te r p o o l s and s m a l l v o l ume

f l o w s . There a r e no l a r g e o r h i g h wa te r sources SW o r W o f LLM.

I n t h i s area, near 56 '18 'N x 74"05'W, a b a r r i e r e x i s t s between

t h e wa te rs o f LLM and C l e a r w a t e r Lake. T h i s i s a "na r row r i d g e ,

s c a r c e l y more t h a n 500 yds wide, and c e r t a i n l y l e s s t h a n a

hundred f e e t i n e l e v a t i o n " ( D o u t t 1942, p . 72) . There i s ,

t h e r e f o r e , no d i r e c t exchange of wa te r between t h e s e two l a k e s .

The wa te r l e v e l i n C l e a r w a t e r Lake i s about 10 m l o w e r t h a n i n

LLM.

Sea l O b s e r v a t i o n f r o m t h e Ground

We camped a t S i t e #4 ( F i g . 8 ) f o r 2 n i g h t s (3 -4 March) . On 3 March,

a t 1730 h r , as we were s e t t i n g up camp, we saw a ha rbou r sea l i n f r o n t o f

t h e camp. On ly i t s head was v i s i b l e as i t swam upstream. As we watched,

i t t u r n e d i t s head t o l o o k a t us; t h e n s l o w l y i t swarn fo rward , s t i l l w i t h

i t s head o u t o f t h e water , dove, showing i t s back as i t arched. I t s h i n d

f l i p p e r s d i d n o t b reak t h e s u r f a c e . E l apsed o b s e r v a t i o n t i m e was about 25

seconds. It d i d n o t reappear i n t h e open wa te r aga in . T h i s was t h e o n l y

s e a l s i g h t i n g o f t h e t r i p .

The poo l which we observed ( F i g . 8 ) was about 150 3 wide by 700 m

l o n g . Froin an e l e v a t i o n o f about 10 m a t ou r t e n t s i t e , we c o u l d see a 350

rn segment o f i t . The 3 p o o l s downstreain o f Our l o c a t i o n were obse rved a t

r e g u l a r i n t e r v a l s .

The p e r i m e t e r s o f t h e p o o l s were exarnined c a r e f u l l y f o r s i g n s o f

s e a l s , b u t none were found.

I c e C o n d i t i o n s on t h e Lake -- A p a r t from t h e open w a t e r areas, LLM was t o t a l l y f r o z e n o v e r . Twomey

( 1 9 3 9 ) r e p o r t e d t h a t he had t o go t h r o u g h 3 f e e t of i c e t o r e a c h w a t e r i n

some p a r t s of t h e l a k e . We saw no r i d g e s o r o t h e r d e f o r m a t i o n s o f t h e i c e

s u r f a c e on LLM, as compared t o C l e a r w a t e r Lake wh ich was o b v i o u s l y c racked

i n t o many s e c t i o n s w i t h h i g h p r e s s u r e r i d g e s .

We exainined t h e i c e and n o t e d a p a r t i c u l a r f e a t u r e wh ich m i g h t be

i m p o r t a n t t o s e a l s . T h i s o b s e r v a t i o n was rnade by Dou t t i n 1938 (Twomey

1939, p. 137) . At f r e e z e - u p t h e wa te r l e v e l o f t h e l a k e i s v e r y h i g h . As

w i n t e r p rog resses , i c e t h i c k e n s and wa te r l e v e l s fa11 due t o r e d u c e d

r u n - o f f . I c e sags and b reaks nea r shore . I n most i n s t a n c e s t h e i c e i s

v e r y w e l l anchored a t t h e s h o r e - l i n e suppor ted by i r r e g u l a r i t i e s o r r o c k s

on t h e beaches. As wa te r l e v e l s recede, t h e anchored i c e b reaks where i t

i s n o t suppor ted and changes i n t o a s t e p - l i k e f o r m a t i o n o f i c e s h e e t s

( F i g . 9 ) . On t h e s u r f a c e t h e s e s t e p s a r e n o t usua l l y o b v i o u s s i n c e t h e y

a r e cove red hy snow. It appears frorn o u r o b s e r v a t i o n s a t s i t e #4 t h a t

t h e r e was a r e d u c t i o n o f about 1 m i n t h e wa te r l e v e l between f r e e z e - u p and

e a r l y March.

Beneath t h e s e s h o r e l i n e i c e - s t e p s t h e water recedes l e a v i n g b e h i n d

connec ted a i r chambers o f v a r y i n g h e i g h t s depend ing on b o t t o m t o p o g r a p h y

and s u p p o r t i n g s t r u c t u r e s . Chambers w i t h access t o deep w a t e r may make

v e r y adequate sea l l a i r s . I n f a c t , t h e e n t i r e s h o r e - l i n e m i g h t s e r v e as a

c o n t i guous b r e a t h i n g chamber f o r ove rw i n t e r i n g sea l S .

DISCUSSION

O b s e r v a t i o n s and specimens o f ha rbou r s e a l s a r e c o n f i n e d t o t h e

Lacs des Loups M a r i n s and t h e Nastapoka R i v e r , a l t h o u g h uncon f i rmed r e p o r t s

a l s o i n d i c a t e t h a t s e a l s were once hun ted i n P e t i t Lac des Loups M a r i n s .

I n a d d i t i o n t o Our s i n g l e s i g h t i n g i n LLM we add t h e s i g h t i n g made i n 1986

b y a canoer o f a s i n g l e sea l 35-50 km upst ream (5b032 'N , 74O29'W) o f t h e

seaward e x i t o f t h e Nastapoka and t h e s i g h t i n g o f p o s s i b l y more than one

sea l i n a poo l (56 "54 'N , 76'25'W) a t t h e base o f t h e second w a t e r f a l l f ro rn

t h e sea (Dr . F r e d B lake, Woodbury Minn. p e r s . comm. Aug. 1986) . The l a t t e r

s i g h t i n g o f s e a l s between t h e two 30 m h i g h w a t e r f a l l s a t t h e Hudson Bay

end o f t h e Nastapoka R i v e r suggests t h a t such w a t e r f a l l s a r e n o t a b s o l u t e

b a r r i e r s t o s e a l s e n t e r i n g from t h e sea. It appears t h a t t h e Nastapoka

r i v e r and LLM p r o v i d e t h e most f a v o u r a b l e f e e d i n g areas f o r s e a l s b u t i t

remains a m y s t e r y why o t h e r c o n t i g u o u s l a k e s suci? as C l e a r w a t e r and M i n t o

wh ich have good f i sh popu l a t i o n s (Power and G r é g o i r e 1978) do n o t appear t o

c o n t a i n s e a l s . I t i s perhaps r i s k y t o e x c l u d e t h e s e as p o s s i b l e summering

areas f o r s e a l s s i n c e t h e r e have n o t been adequate s u r v e y s conducted a t

t h a t t i m e o f y e a r .

The w i n t e r d i s t r i b u t i o n o f s e a l s w h i l e b i a s e d by t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f

a v a i l a b l e open wa te r areas i s l o c a t e d i n t h e n a r r o w areas o f LLM where t h e

c u r r e n t s a r e s u f f i c i e n t t o c r e a t e open ings i n t h e i c e . Some o f t h e s e (#4 ,

F i g . 8 ) co r respond t o areas where s e a l s have been s i g h t e d and c o l l e c t e d i n

t h e sunlmer ( D o u t t 1942 ) .

Because o f t h e s h o r e l i n e d e f o r m a t i o n of i c e caused b y d r o p p i n g wa te r

l e v e l s (Twomey 1939) i t would be p o s s i b l e f o r s e a l s t o o b t a i n p r o t e c t i o n

frorn t h e e lements and p o t e n t i a l p r e d a t o r s such as wo lves and foxes (Smi th

1976) w h i l e d i s t r i buting theinselves around most of the shore1 ine of LLM in

areas which are presuinably c lose t o good feeding.

The taxonornic s t a t u s of harbour sea l s i s not well documented. Doutt

(1942) described them as a subspecies, - P . v . - rnellonae on the basis of two - specirnens, b u t Mansfield (1967) argued tha t they did not appear t o be

d i s t i n c t from P . v . concolor. The i so la t ion of the population from the sea - - i s also not c e r t a i n . While the Nastapoka wa te r fa l l s appear t o forrn an

impassible b a r r i e r on the Hudson Bay s ide , several r i v e r s , including t h e

Rivière aux F e u i l l e s , Rivière aux Mélèzes and Rivière DuGué, draining

toward Ungava Bay could provide access. Hildebrand ( U n p u b l ished M.S. 1948,

Arct ic Biological S t a t i o n ) indica tes tha t local knowledge in Ungava Bay

pointed t o a widespread occurrence of harbour s e a l s in inland lakes which

were col l e c t i v e l y cal led Kasigiaksiovi k ( p l ace of t h e harbour seal ) by the

Inui t . The advent of r i f l e hunting and the high d e s i r a b i l i t y of harbour

seal pe l t s f o r decora t ive use probably resul ted in a rapid reduction in

nurnbers of harbour s e a l s in both the r i v e r s and lakes c lose to Inui t

hunting grounds.

Doutt 's (1942) female specimen from L L M was pregnant which probably

iiidicates t h a t inating and b i r t h occurs in the i n 1 and l3kes. The few

observations of s e a l s made over the years do not give the impression o f any

s izeable concentrat ions of seal s anywhere in these drainages, b u t do point

t o year round residency. Mansfield 's (1967) i n t e r p r e t a t i o n t h a t the area

contains a res ident popul a t ion occasional ly augmented by wandering sea l s

entering from the sea and undertaking random overland migrations i s a

reasonable hypothesi S . Harbour sea l s are known t o t r ave l considerabl P

distances overland and d i r e c t evidence i s pîesented by Doutt (1954) t h a t

t h i s occurred i n several ~ e a s i n the LLM region. Conditions during the

f r e e z e - u p o f r i v e r e s t u a r i ê s mi g h t pro inote such i n 1 and i n c u r s i o n s when

ha rbou r s e a l s 1 i n g e r t o feed on c h a r r rnoving up t h e r i v e r s i n t h e l a t e

autumn. O t h e r s p e c i e s o f a r c t i c and a n t a r c t i c sea l s o c c a s i o n a l l y becorne

d i s o r i e n t e d and end up c o n s i d e r a b l e d i s t a n c e s i n 1 and, somet imes a t

c o n s i d e r a b l e h e i g h t above sea l e v e l (Smi th and Mernoyana 1977; S t i r l i n g and

Kooyman 1971) . A snow and i c e cove red r i v e r m i g h t make t h e b r i d g i o g o f

o b s t a c l e s such as w a t e r f a l l s much e a s i e r t h a n d u r i n g t h e open water season

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recent conce rns about t h e p o p u l a t i o n s t a t u s i n LLM a r e prompted by t h e

p o s s i h i l i t y o f reduced d r a i n a g e i n t o t h e l a k e s by h y d r o e l e c t r i c

deve lopments . F u r t h e r s t u d i e s would n o t be a b l e t o g i v e p r e c i s e e s t i m a t e s

o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n and would n o t l i k e l y e n a b l e us t o p i n p o i n t t h e exac t

d i s t r i b u t i o n . Some knowledge c o u l d he ga ined b y a t t e m p t i n g t o c a p t u r e and

r a d i o - t a g s e a l s u s i n g s p e c i a l l i v e - c a p t u r e n e t s ( S m i t h e t a l . 1973) . There

i s t h e r i s k o f d rown ing soine o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l s wh ich m i g h t be c o n s i d e r e d

u n a c c e p t a b l e i f t h e p o p u l a t i o n i s v e r y low. On t h e o t h e r hand i t would

p r o v i d e specimens w i t h wh ich t o assess t h e taxonomic s t a t u s o f t h e g roup .

D u r i n g t h e c a p t u r e a t temp ts , b o a t su rveys c o u l d a l s o be c a r r i e d ou t t o

f u r t h e r document t h e h a b i t a t and t e s t - f i s h i n g c o u l d be a t temp ted t o

e v a l u a t e t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f t h e areas used by t h e s e a l s . Rad io- tagged s e a l s

c o u l d be f o l l o w e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e summer and w i n t e r t o a s c e r t a i n which

s p e c i f i c h a b i t a t f e a t u r e s a r e i m p o r t a n t t o t h e sea l p o p u l a t i o n and what

f a c t o r s c o n t r o l t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n and nurnbers.

KEFERENCES

Be r roua rd , D. 1984. R é s u l t a t s d ' une reconna issance a é r i e n n e dans l e b u t

de r e p é r e r des s o u s - p o p u l a t i o n s de phoques communs (Phoca v i t u l i n a )

dans l a r é g i o n des Lacs des Loups Mar ins . M i n i s t è r e de

1 ' env i ronnemen t , D i r e c t i o n R é g i o n a l e du Nouveau-Québec. Rappor t

d i E t a p e . 19p.

D o u t t , J.K. 1942. A r e v i e w o f t h e genus Phoca. Ann. Carneg ie , Mus., 29:

61-125.

D o u t t , J.K. 1954. O b s e r v a t i o n s on mammals a l o n g t h e e a s t c o a s t o f Hudson

Bay and t h e i n t e r i o r o f Ungava. Ann. Carneg ie , Mus., 33: 235-249.

M a n s f i e l d , A.W. 1967. D i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e ha rbou r s e a l , Phoca v i t u l i n a

L innaeus, i n Canadian A r c t i c wa te rs . J. Mammal. 48: 249-257.

Power, G. and J. G r é g o i r e . 1978. P r e d a t i o n by f r e s h w a t e r s e a l s on t h e

cornmunity o f Lower Seal Lake, Québec, J, F i s h . Res. Board . Can. 35:

844-850.

Smith, T.G. 1976. P r e d a t i o n o f r i n g e d sea l pups (Phoca h i s p i d a ) b y t h e - -- a r c t i c f o x (A lopex l a g o p u s ) . Can. J. Z o o l . 54: 1610-1516. --

Smith, T.G. and J. Memogana. 1977. D i s o r i e n t a t i o n i n r i n g e d and bearded

s e a l s . Can. F i e l d - N a t . 91: 181-182.

Smith, T.G., B . Beck and G.A. S leno. 1973. Capture, H a n d l i n g , and

B r a n d i n g o f Ringed Sea ls . J. W i l d l . Manage. 37(4) :579-583.

S t i r l i n g , 1. and G.L. Kooyman. 1971. The c r a b e a t e r s e a l (Lobodon --

c a r c i n o p h a g u s ) i n McMurdo Sound, a n t a r c t i c a , and t h e o r i g i n o f -- mummified s e a l s . J. Mammal. 52: 175-180.

Twomey, A r t h u r C. 1939. Need le t o t h e Nor th . The s t o r y o f an e x p e d i t i o n

t o Ungava and t h e B e l c h e r I s l a n d s . i - lerber t Jenk ins L td , Londovi, 151p.

L IST !IF FIGURES

F i g . 1 Map showing Lacs des Loups Mar ins , a d j a c e n t l a k e s and open w a t e r

a reas .

F i g . 2 Map showing Lacs des Loups Mar ins , Ungava Bay, Hudson Bay and t h e

n a i n r i v e r d r a i n a g e systern.

F i g . 3-8 D e t a i l e d maps (1:50,000 s c a l e ) showing open wa te r a r e a s .

F i g . 9 S k e t c h showing how u n d e r - i c e charnbers f o r m around shore1 i n e .

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3

Fig 4

Fig 6

now

E A R L Y W I N T E R

F ig 9