NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: beluga whale, interviews, workshop, drone, hydrophone

Objective(s): 1) Explore and document Inuvialuit knowledge and perspectives on the marine environment in Darnley Bay with a particular focus on beluga whale activity and coastal processes, 2) Interpret and contextualize project field data from an Inuvialuit perspective, 3) Reflect on project design, planning, and implementation to inform future transdisciplinary research efforts, 4) Explore participant perspectives on the role of emerging technologies (such as drones and hydrophones) in environmental research and monitoring.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5913. The objectives for the qualitative components of this study are as follows: 1) Explore and document Inuvialuit knowledge and perspectives on the marine environment in Darnley Bay with a particular focus on beluga whale activity and coastal processes, 2) Interpret and contextualize project field data from an Inuvialuit perspective, 3) Reflect on project design, planning, and implementation to inform future transdisciplinary research efforts, 4) Explore participant perspectives on the role of emerging technologies (such as drones and hydrophones) in environmental research and monitoring. The qualitative research methods employed in this study include individual interviews (estimated 2-3 hours in duration) and a group workshop (1-2 days duration, featuring knowledge sharing and reflection in a group setting) held in the community of Paulatuk, NT. The interviews and workshop will follow a semi-structured guide outlining key topics and questions reviewed with the PHTC Board of Directors. Participants will be able to skip any questions they do not feel comfortable discussing and may also address additional topics not included within the guide as they see fit. During the interviews and workshop, participants will be shown a selection of video clips, photos, and sound recordings collected through the field research component of this project so that they may help interpret and contextualize these findings based on their personal knowledge and experience. The images and sounds that will be played are of beluga and bowhead whales observed during fieldwork and areas of the coastline experiencing erosion. Participants may also be asked to draw on maps of the area to highlight past observations or certain habitat features and may be asked to sort or organize a series of photos acquired through this project (for example photos of beluga whales exhibiting a range of body conditions or age classes). Based on discussions and recommendations from the PHTC Board, the team aims to recruit approximately 8-12 interview participants and 8-10 workshop participants. Some of the individuals that participate in interviews may also participate in the workshop. This number of participants has been selected to ensure that a range of perspectives are considered (offering breadth and depth of key topics). All participants will have the option to verify the information they share prior to analysis and results publication. Please see the attached documents for additional information. Collaborative project planning and implementation began in Spring 2021 and remains ongoing. Partners meet a minimum of four times per year and to date, have met over 20 times to discuss and reflect on the project. Thus far, the team have implemented three field seasons, two involving on-the-ground transdisciplinary collaboration. At the end of each field season, there is a hosted community night in the community of Paulatuk to share updates from the field and review a selection of field data (drone footage and acoustic recordings). Each fall, the team circulates a plain language summary describing field operations to the PHTC and other beluga co-management partners in the ISR (three circulated to date). In 2022, the field team (K. Ovitz and K. Scharffenberg of Winnipeg and F. Wolki and J. Illasiak Jr. of Paulatuk) co-presented preliminary project findings at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto. Final research products weaving together wildlife and qualitative data will be summarized in plain language summaries and scientific publications co-authored by our research team and project partners. The PHTC Board will have the option to review all knowledge products prior to publication and circulation. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: September 08 - December 31, 2024