Presented by Dr. Eric Keen, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, on April 20, 2017.

Abstract: The identification of “critical habitat” for threatened marine predators is complicated by their cryptic and far-ranging strategies for foraging and habitat use. In an ecosystem survey spanning three summers, I assessed the ecological pathways that couple rorqual whales (f. Balaenopteridae) to their habitat within the Kitimat Fjord System, British Columbia. Contrary to the typical depiction of large whales as blundering giants, I observed complex foraging behaviors and patterns of habitat use that were spatiotemporally structured, perennially persistent, and remarkably attuned to the dynamics of fjord oceanography.

To view this past webinar, see its listing under Resources > CSEB Webinar Archives