Baited remote underwater video estimates of benthic fish and invertebrate diversity within the eastern Canadian Arctic

Abstract

Enhanced survey efforts in the Arctic are currently needed to broaden our understanding of marine species distributions and establish the baseline data and methodologies necessary to detect potential responses to changing regional climate and human activities. For the first time, a baited remote underwater video (BRUV) survey was conducted in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, providing new biological information within data-poor regions of interest for marine conservation and potential fisheries development. A total of 31 camera deployments were conducted in 2015–2016 aboard an industry fishing vessel during summer exploratory fishing cruises, with observations occurring in the marine waters of the Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin) Region of Nunavut. In total, 18 invertebrate taxa and 14 fish taxa were observed at the baited camera, with significant differences in assemblages among sites associated with spatial variation in temperature and depth. The Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus and polar cod Boreogadus saida were the dominant fish species observed, with the presence of brittle stars Ophiuroidea, amphipods and chaetognaths dominating invertebrate communities. Comparisons with concurrent fisheries catch data (whelk pots) demonstrated the baited camera’s ability to comparably detect local fish taxa when deployed over uniform, fine-grain sediment substrates, while local invertebrate assemblages were often better captured by fisheries surveys. These results illustrate the potential of low-impact BRUV survey methods to efficiently provide baseline data on spatial patterns of diversity and their drivers to advance our understanding of marine ecosystems within understudied polar regions.