Session Announcement and Call for Abstracts 'Role of Arctic Marine Mammals in Northern Ecosystems and Cultures' Arctic Change 2008 Quebec City, Canada December 9-12, 2008 Abstract submission deadline is September 26, 2008. Abstracts can be submitted online at: http://www.arctic-change2008.com/index.php?url=13010 <http://www.arctic-change2008.com/index.php?url=13010> For conference details and online registration forms, please go to: http://www.arctic-change2008.com/index.php?url=11010 <http://www.arctic-change2008.com/index.php?url=11010> For information on this session please contact the session chair and/or organizer: Steven Ferguson (Session Chair) Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 204-983-5057 Steve.ferguson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca <mailto:Steve.ferguson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca> Cory Matthews (ArcticNet Marine Mammals Coordinator) Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 204-984-2425 Cory.Matthews@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Session Description: Arctic marine mammals such as seals, walrus, whales, polar bears, and Arctic foxes play important ecological, social, cultural and nutritional roles in Arctic ecosystems. Many of these species are adapted to sea-ice conditions, and Inuit hunters have learned to use these habitats as well for subsistence harvesting. However, these high-latitude marine systems are currently undergoing pronounced changes, with dramatic sea ice declines in many areas. Environmental changes may have marked effects on marine mammal ecosystems, which will in turn have distinct effects on northern cultures. Many Arctic marine mammals occupy top trophic positions and thus can be viewed as sentinels of marine ecosystem health. Examining health and condition in marine mammals may provide valuable information about ecosystem alterations in structure that may otherwise be difficult to document. Working with northerners to monitor changes in their subsistence hunts will provide an Arctic observation network that will improve science while empowering Inuit culture. In this session we will bring together researchers representing diverse views on marine mammals, their ecosystems, and climate change in the Arctic. The goals of this session are to present research examining links between environmental variation and marine mammal ecology (including, but not limited to: population demographics, competition and predator-prey relationships, distribution and abundance, migration and largescale movements, diet and foraging patterns and trophic structure dynamics, reproductive success and phenology, life history, individual health such as stress and susceptibility to disease), and to better understand how marine mammal populations may respond to acute change in the Arctic. These findings may be used to allow northerners to anticipate such changes, including development of conservation initiatives to preserve northern culture and current relationships with the marine ecosystem.