Composition, biomass and energetic content of biota in the vicinity of feeding bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Cape Bathurst upwelling region (south eastern Beaufort Sea)

Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population form annual late-summer feeding aggregations offshore of the eastern Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula and Cape Bathurst. This region is strongly influenced by episodic upwelling events. A systematic aerial survey (10% coverage) was flown over the eastern shelf on 2 August 2008, revealing large numbers of bowheads (est. 3500 individuals) in a clumped distribution over the...