The Davis Strait - DCE - Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi

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of the walruses wintering in these areas may occur within the assessment area.
Hence, oil exploration and exploitation activities may potentially only
impact a minor (but unknown) fraction of walruses of the West Greenland-
Southeast Baffin Island stock when they occur at their West Greenland wintering
grounds.
As walruses mainly occur north of the assessment area, the most likely impact
of disturbance from oil-exploration inside the northern part of the assessment
area will therefore likely be the displacement of relatively few individuals
due to underwater noise and masking.
However, the currents that are flowing north at greater depths along the
West Greenland coast through the Davis Strait assessment area may bring
oil slicks northwards into the important close-by walrus wintering grounds
at Store Hellefiskebanke and Disko Banke farther north. In case of fouling of
the sea bed < 200 m depth on Store Hellefiskebanke essential walrus foraging
areas may be destroyed. In that connection it must be noted that at
Southeast Baffin Island there are only few and geographically limited open
water areas suitable for wintering walruses compared to the West Greenland
‘open water area’ over the Store Hellefiskebanke. Furthermore, the extension
of shallow water banks along Southeast Baffin Island is much smaller than
in West Greenland where walruses occur. Hence, although not known with
certainty, it seems plausible that the majority of the West Greenland-
Southeast Baffin Island stock of walruses winter at the West Greenland
banks between approx. 65° 30' N and approx. 68° 15' N. Therefore, any potential
negative impact from oil exploration or exploitation activity in West
Greenland would influence this stock comparatively more severely.
4.8.2 Seals
Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid (GINR)
Five species of seals occur in the assessment area; two species (harp and
hooded seals) are migrant seals and their numbers fluctuate significantly
with season. Ringed seals maintain breathing holes in annual sea ice
throughout the winter. Some ringed seals in the assessment area are likely to
live a relatively stationary existence in the glacier fjords, while others enter
the area as the pack ice in Davis Strait spreads eastward during winter and
spring. The Storis (pack ice from the east coast) might also reach into the assessment
area from south and some influx of ringed seals is also likely to
come from this front. Bearded seals are also associated with sea ice. They can
make breathing holes, but only in relatively thin ice. The seasonal distribution
of bearded seals in the West Atlantic is not known in detail, but their
numbers increase in the assessment area during winter and spring when especially
the Store Hellefiskebanke seems to become an important habitat.
Harbour seals spend most of their time close to the coast. The coastal part of
the assessment area once had the highest occurrence of these seals in Greenland,
but their numbers declined significantly during the 20 th century. The
species is listed on the Greenland Red List as critically endangered and in
2010 all hunting of harbour seals in Greenland was prohibited.
Seals and oil
The effects of oil on seals were thoroughly reviewed by St. Aubin (1990)
Seals are vulnerable to oil spills as oil can damage the fur, produce skin irritation
and seriously affect the eyes as well as the mucous membranes that