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

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breeding population of common murre and atlantic puffin is small, but significant
for the Greenland population.
4.9.5 Non-breeding seabirds
Large numbers of migrating, wintering and moulting seabirds from the entire
North Atlantic occur in the assessment. Among the most important species
are migrating/wintering thick-billed murres, little auks, common eiders,
king eiders, long-tailed ducks, black-legged kittiwakes, ivory gulls, great
cormorant, white-tailed eagle and moulting/wintering harlequin ducks.
Most species are associated with the coastal areas and partly the fjords and
the shelf, but some species also utilize the western part of the assessment area,
such as little auk, kittiwake and ivory gull.
In addition, thick-billed murre, common eider and black-legged kittiwake
are important as quarry species for the hunters in the assessment area.
4.9.6 Marine mammals (summer)
From spring to autumn, the assessment area is an important foraging area
for several species of cetaceans and seals. Minke whale, fin whale and
humpback whale feed on krill, capelin and sandeels in shelf and fjord waters.
Harbour porpoise inhabit shelf waters and feed on small fish such as
capelin and young cod, as well as squid and krill. Long-finned pilot whale,
white-beaked dolphin, sperm whale and northern bottlenose whale prey on
larger fish and squid species on deep-sea waters and continental slopes.
Harp seals arrive to the area during spring to feed on capelin and sand eel,
both offshore and in the fjords. Hooded seals are abundant in late summer
and autumn when migrating between moulting grounds in Southeast
Greenland and feeding grounds in the Baffin Bay. They feed on large fish
and squid in deep waters. The assessment area is important for at least one
group of harbour seals, which are critically endangered in Greenland.
All the species mentioned above, with exemption of sperm whale, bottlenose
whale and harbour seal are hunted in Greenland and considered an important
resource for both economic and cultural reasons.
4.9.7 Marine mammals (winter)
Several important species of marine mammals are associated with the northern
or western part of the assessment area during winter. These include the
walrus, beluga whale, narwhal, polar bear, hooded seal, bearded seal and
ringed seal. The main wintering area of these species is located just north
and/or west of the assessment area; however, in years with an extensive icecoverage
their distribution overlaps with the assessment area. The bowhead
whale migrates through the assessment area in January-February towards
foraging areas (and perhaps mating grounds) in the Disko Bay area. Some of
the marine mammals that occur during summer may remain during winter
in ice-free waters of the assessment area.
To various extents these marine mammals are all hunted in Greenland and
considered an important resource for both economic and cultural reasons. At
the same time polar bear, narwhal, beluga whale, bowhead whale and walrus
are listed as vulnerable, near threatened or threatened in the Greenland
Red List.