Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region
| Principal Investigator: | Morell Ybarz, Maria (3) |
| Licence Number: | 17513 |
| Organization: | University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2024
|
| Issued: | Apr 30, 2024 |
| Project Team: | Luca Schick, Louise Moysan |
Objective(s): The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the effects of noise on hearing in cetaceans in the Arctic. Ears of harvested belugas in Hendrickson Island will be used to determine if the individuals suffered a hearing impairment, and if it is compatible with noise exposure.
Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5876. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the effects of noise on hearing in cetaceans in the Arctic. Ears of harvested belugas in Hendrickson Island will be used to determine if the individuals suffered a hearing impairment, and if it is compatible with noise exposure. (1) After the head and lower jaws have been removed, ears from 20 to 25 harvested belugas will be collected and fixed per year with 4% paraformaldehyde (see protocol at http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/files/Ear_extraction_and_fixation_protocol_UBC.pdf). It is easier to extract the ears once the head is removed and this procedure should have little impact on the butchering of the whales. (2) Both the right and left ears from the belugas will be used, except in those animals where gunshot might have damaged the ears. (3) Preserved ears will be stored at room temperature or in a fridge and shipped immersed in 4% paraformaldehyde (no chemical waste will be left in Hendrickson Island) with appropriate CITES permits (4) Once the ears have arrived at the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany, they will be processed and examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. (5) The person in charge of ear collection, fixation and transport will be Dr. Luca Schick (or alternatively personnel from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of Canada, DFO). Dr. Maria Morell will be responsible for ear analysis at the ITAW facilities. It is hoped to integrate these proposed studies with DFO’s current sampling protocols and increase the scope of the scientific program on Hendrickson Island. Involvement and work with local harvest monitors, hunters, and youth and to communicate our research objectives and results in a meaningful way to the community of Tuktoyaktuk is desired. There is willingness to participate in presentations and workshops to communicate results and importance of the research to the local beluga population. Results will be provided to hunters and community members by presentations and reports, and, ultimately, publications will be prepared to share this information with the broader scientific community. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: June 25 - August 31, 2024
