Project Dashboard

Status: ACTIVE SCREENING

  • NIRB File No:

    25YN062

  • Application No.:

    126223

  • Project Type:

    Scientific Research

  • Project Name:

    Ocean Tracking Network: Marine fish tracking in Baffin Bay and connected waters onboard the RV Kiviuq 1.

Applicant
Primary Contact

The main objective is to improve our understanding of the movement patterns and ecology of Greenland Shark, Greenland Halibut and Arctic Skate. Individuals of each species will be caught on bottom set longlines and marked with acoustic tags that allow the tracking of individual animals. Fish tracking moorings deployed near Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq, near the Disko Fan Conservation Area and along the shelf break in Baffin Bay will be retrieved, refit and redeployed. A new set of moorings will be deployed in the outer half of Cumberland Sound. Bottom set longline will be used to assess the distribution and relative abundance of commercially sized Greenland Halibut in inshore waters near Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut; fishing will not occur in Cumberland Sound. Longlines will be set for up to 12 hours; hooks will be baited with squid and the lines will be set on the ocean bottom. All captured fishes and invertebrates will be identified and the lengths and weights will be recorded for all Greenland Halibut and Arctic Skate. Tissue samples will be taken from a subset of specimens of all species (except SARA listed species and Greenland Sharks) for chemical tracer analyses to examine food web structure; gonad samples and morphometric measurements will also be taken from these individuals. VEMCO acoustic transmitters (V16s: http://www.vemco.com/pdf/v16cont.pdf) will be surgically implanted in the body cavities of captured and healthy Greenland Halibut (n=300), Greenland Sharks (n=60) and Arctic Skate (n=60). Surgical procedures and handling will be <5 mins to minimize stress to the animals. Greenland Sharks will be tagged from a zodiac, with the animals held parallel to the boat and just at the surface of the water. VEMCO acoustic monitors (VR2Ws: http://www.vemco.com/pdf/vr2w.pdf) that record the time and date of individual tagged animals (within >500 m of an individual monitor) will be deployed in arrays near Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq and in Cumberland Sound to track animal movements. Individual acoustic monitors will be secured using fixed 200lb weights, sub surface floats and an acoustic release mechanism that can be triggered the following year to retrieve monitors for data download. All non-retained animals will be returned to the water at the site of capture.

Assessment Phase / Activity
  • Application screening started 2025-09-02
Region
  • Transboundary
  • South Baffin
Project Images
Click on document name to download it, or select the document to add to a download list.
Click on the icon to preview PDF.  Click on the sign to view document details.
Documents within selected category
Display per page:
Comment Form for NIRB Screenings

We appreciate your feedback/input. However you are currently not registered on the site (or your session has expired).

Registering for an account takes only moments and will provide you with more options/opportunities to participate in the NIRB process...

Register an Account