Benthic studies adjacent to Sakhalin Island, Russia, 2015 I: benthic biomass and community structure in the nearshore gray whale feeding area.

Okhotsk or western gray whales feed in summer along the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia, a region with oil and gas extraction facilities. Seismic surveys increased sound levels in the nearshore feeding area in 2015 for part of the summer, potentially displacing whales from preferred foraging habitat or reducing foraging efficiency. Since lost foraging opportunities might lead to vital rate effects on this endangered species, detailed benthic surveys were conducted to characterize benthic community biomass patterns and spatial and temporal differences.

Data on macrobenthic prey from an essential western gray whale feeding habitat, Sakhalin Island, Russia, 2001-2015.

Data in this article presents data (means and standard deviations) for prey biomass from essential feeding habitats for the endangered western gray whale. Prey include Actinopterygii (primarily the sand lance ), Amphipoda, Bivalvia, Cumacea, Isopoda, and Polychaeta. Total prey biomass (sum of the six prey groups) is also presented.

Prey biomass dynamics in gray whale feeding areas adjacent to northeastern Sakhalin (the Sea of Okhotsk), Russia, 2001-2015.

Changing climate patterns strongly influence marine ecosystems across the Pacific Arctic region creating significant ecosystem transitions and change. Macrobenthic species are essential prey for numerous marine mammals and seabirds but the influence of climatic drivers that control macrobenthic community population dynamics are poorly known in critical prey habitats. We investigated associations of environmental, temporal, and climatic covariates with the biomass concentrations of six prey groups (Actinopterygii, Amphipoda, Bivalvia, Cumacea, Isopoda, and Polychaeta) in essential habitats for Korean-Okhotsk (western) gray whales adjacent to northeastern Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk.