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The term "ocean literacy" originated in the early 2000s from American ocean science researchers and educators to strengthen ocean science education in the national curriculum. Worldwide, it has been adapted to reflect a more multidisciplinary approach to understanding humans' relationships with the ocean. Research from the Understanding Ocean Literacy in Canada national study (2019-2020) (Ammendolia et al., 2020; Glithero, 2020; Hoover, 2020; MacNeil, 2020; Ostertag & Ammendolia, 2020; Yumagulova, 2020) identified ocean literacy as a limiting term, unable to capture the scope of Canadian experiences with the ocean continuum (land, freshwater, coastal areas, sea ice, open ocean), and inadequate in encapsulating different worldviews and across different linguistic communities. We discuss the challenges of contextualizing an international term within Canada and present ideas to move toward more inclusive terminology, examining the challenges still ahead in developing relevant terminology and bridging with international initiatives.

Oceanic ecosystem services support a range of human benefits, and Canada has extensive research networks producing growing data sets. We present a first effort to compile, link, and harmonize available information to provide new perspectives on the status of Canadian ocean ecosystems and corresponding research. The metadata database currently includes 1094 individual assessments and data sets from government (n = 716), nongovernment (n = 320), and academic sources (n = 58), comprising research on marine species, natural drivers and resources, human activities, ecosystem services, and governance, with data sets spanning 1979-2012 on average. Overall, research shows a strong prevalence towards single-species fishery studies, with an underrepresentation of economic and social aspects, and of the Arctic region in general. Nevertheless, the number of studies that are multispecies or ecosystem-based have increased since the 1960s. We present and discuss two illustrative case studies--marine protected area establishment in Canada and herring resource use by the Heiltsuk First Nation--highlighting the potential use of multidisciplinary data sets drawn from metadata records. Identifying knowledge gaps is key to achieving the comprehensive, accessible and interdisciplinary data sets and subsequent analyses necessary for new sustainability policies that meet both ecological and socioeconomic needs. Les services des ecosystemes oceaniques supportent un eventail d'avantages pour les humains, et le Canada dispose de vastes reseaux de recherche qui produisent des ensembles de donnees croissants. Nous presentons les premiers efforts visant a compiler, relier et harmoniser l'information disponible afin d'offrir de nouvelles perspectives sur l'etat des ecosystemes oceaniques canadiens et la recherche s'y rapportant. La base de metadonnees comprend actuellement 1094 evaluations et ensembles de donnees distincts provenant de sources gouvernementales (n = 716), non gouvernementales (n = 320) et universitaires (n = 58), qui comprennent des travaux sur des especes marines, des facteurs et ressources naturels, des activites humaines, les services d'ecosystemes et la gouvernance, les ensembles de donnees couvrant, en moyenne, la periode de 1979 a 2012. Dans l'ensemble, la recherche montre une forte prevalence d'etudes sur les peches visant une seule espece et une sous-representation des aspects economiques et sociaux et de la region arctique en general. Cela dit, le nombre d'etudes portant sur des especes multiples ou sur des ecosystemes a augmente depuis les annees 1960. Nous presentons deux etudes de cas a des fins d'illustration et de discussion, sur l'etablissement d'aires marines protegees au Canada et sur les ressources de harengs utilisees par la Premiere Nation Heiltsuk, qui font ressortir l'utilite potentielle d'ensembles de donnees multidisciplinaires extraits de registres de metadonnees. La determination des lacunes en matiere de connaissances est d'importance cle pour la production d'ensembles de donnees exhaustifs, accessibles et interdisciplinaires et pour les analyses subsequentes necessaires a l'elaboration de nouvelles politiques de gestion durable pour repondre a des besoins tant ecologiques que socioeconomiques. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Availability, integration, and access to information on ocean resources and research have been identified as key challenges for Canadian ocean management (Expert Panel on Canadian Ocean Science 2013). Such [...]

High levels of methylmercury (MeHg) have been reported in Arctic marine biota, posing health risks to wildlife and human beings. Although MeHg concentrations of some Arctic species have been monitored for decades, the key environmental and ecological factors driving temporal trends of MeHg are largely unclear. We develop an ecosystem-based MeHg bioaccumulation model for the Beaufort Sea shelf (BSS) using the Ecotracer module of Ecopath with Ecosim, and apply the model to explore how MeHg toxicokinetics and food web trophodynamics affect bioaccumulation in the BSS food web. We show that a food web model with complex trophodynamics and relatively simple MeHg model parametrization can capture the observed biomagnification pattern of the BSS. While both benthic and pelagic production are important for transferring MeHg to fish and marine mammals, simulations suggest that benthic organisms are primarily responsible for driving the high trophic magnification factor in the BSS. We illustrate ways of combining empirical observations and modelling experiments to generate hypotheses about factors affecting food web bioaccumulation, including the MeHg elimination rate, trophodynamics, and species migration behavior. The results indicate that population dynamics rather than MeHg elimination may determine population-wide concentrations for fish and lower trophic level organisms, and cause large differences in concentrations between species at similar trophic levels. This research presents a new tool and lays the groundwork for future research to assess the pathways of global environmental changes in MeHg bioaccumulation in Arctic ecosystems in the past and the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the emerging ocean literacy terminology in Canada based on the regional report "Understanding Ocean Literacy in Canada." Topics discussed include the emergence of the nongovernmental organization Canadian Network for Ocean Education (CaNOE) as a pioneer promoter of ocean literacy in Canada, meaning of the term New Ocean Ethic in Newfoundland and Labrador, and importance of a deeper understanding of the meaning of ocean for people to advancing ocean literacy in the country.

The immense challenges associated with realizing ocean and coastal sustainability require highly skilled interdisciplinary marine scientists. However, the barriers experienced by early career researchers (ECRs) seeking to address these challenges, and the support required to overcome those barriers, are not well understood. This study examines the perspectives of ECRs on opportunities to build interdisciplinary research capacity in marine science. We engaged 23 current and former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a policy Delphi method with three rounds of surveying that included semi-structured questionnaires and q-methodology. We identified the following five barriers that limit ECRs' capacity for interdisciplinary research: (i) demanding workloads; (ii) stress linked to funding, publishing, and employment uncertainty; (iii) limited support for balancing personal and professional commitments; (iv) ineffective supervisory support; and (v) the steep learning curve associated with interdisciplinary research. Our analysis highlights three main types of responses to these barriers adopted by ECRs, including "taking on too much", "coping effectively", and "maintaining material wellbeing at any cost". To overcome these barriers, we propose the following three institutional actions to build early career interdisciplinary researcher capacity: formalize mentorship, create interdisciplinary research groups, and mainstream mental health support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Existing information on Arctic marine food web structure is fragmented. Integrating data across research programs is an important strategy for building a baseline understanding of food web structure and function in many Arctic regions. Naturally-occurring stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) measured directly in the tissues of organisms are a commonly-employed method for estimating food web structure. The objective of the current dataset was to synthesize disparate δ15N, and secondarily δ13C, data in the Canadian Beaufort continental shelf region relevant to trophic and ecological studies at the local and pan-Arctic scales. Data description: The dataset presented here contains nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ15N, δ13C) measured in marine organisms from the Canadian Beaufort continental shelf region between 1983 and 2013, gathered from 27 published and unpublished sources with associated sampling metadata. A total of 1077 entries were collected, summarizing 8859 individual organisms/samples representing 333 taxa across the Arctic food web, from top marine mammal predators to primary producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sex-specific beluga body condition models account for size, age, location, and year. • Belugas from entrapment events can serve as thresholds for body condition indicators. • Spatial variability was detected and requires consideration in the use of indicators. • This study aims to develop blubber thickness and girth as body condition indicators. Monitoring marine protected areas requires simplifying complex marine ecosystems into a suite of indicators. The Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TN MPA), the first MPA in the Canadian Arctic is located in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NT and is selecting indicators for monitoring. Proposed health indicators for the TN MPA species of interest, the Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) beluga, include the body condition metrics blubber thickness and girth. Sex-specific body condition models for both metrics were developed to account for age, size, location, and timing of harvest from belugas harvested from 2000 to 2015. Models were tested to determine if the spatial variation is detected in the condition of belugas between the three areas of the TN MPA and between belugas harvested inside to outside of the TN MPA. Lastly, we assessed belugas from entrapment events to determine if indicator thresholds could be developed. Three of the indicators (girth male, girth female, blubber thickness male) contain both temporal and spatial factors, signalling the significant influence of year and harvest location on condition. Male belugas harvested from the western area of the TN MPA had smaller mean blubber thickness and girth compared to the other TN MPA areas, whereas there was no significant difference in female condition across the TN MPA. There was a significant difference inside and outside the TN MPA for all four indicators, with larger mean blubber thickness inside the TN MPA, females exhibiting larger mean girth and males exhibiting smaller mean girth inside the TN MPA. Indicators confirm that belugas from entrapment events had significantly lower body condition than belugas harvested during the summer and can serve as thresholds for condition indicators. This study provides guidance on the selection and use of condition indicators for their application in monitoring the TN MPA and demonstrates that careful consideration is required for indicator development and selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An ecosystem model was created for the Hudson Bay region, Canada, for 1970–2009, aiming to identify ecosystem linkages while bringing together research from diverse sources. The model presented here in detail includes 40 functional groups. Using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modelling framework we are able to provide estimates for previously unknown parameters such as the biomass of fish species. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of the trophic dynamics within the system, temporal simulations mimic the changes known to occur in the region. The model is fitted to catch data for the Hudson Bay region, along with environmental drivers (sea surface temperature and ice cover). Declines in sea ice and increases in the spring bloom facilitate a shift from benthic to pelagic pathways in lower trophic levels of the model. Polar bears, bearded seals and eastern Hudson Bay belugas demonstrate the greatest declines due to hunting mortality. Additional model scenarios testing the model sensitivity to hunting and environmental pressures indicate higher trophic level organisms (marine mammals) are more responsive to hunting pressures, while lower trophic levels (benthos, zooplankton) are primarily influenced by climate drivers. While marine mammals are the most well studied, the region lacks comprehensive assessments on fish and other mid trophic level organisms. This model captures many patterns present in the system, while identifying gaps in existing data for future research and provides the first step for future research simulating climate change and its impacts on the Hudson Bay ecosystem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Simulations testing the future impacts of harvest and climate change to the Hudson Bay marine ecosystem were created utilizing an existing Ecopath with Ecosim model (Hoover et al., 2013). Building on past simulations depicting known changes to the region, a suite of future scenarios was constructed to include a variety of climate change and harvest levels. Previously identified ecosystem shifts favoring pelagic species (zooplankton, planktivorous fish) over benthic species (benthos, benthic feeding fish), are further exaggerated under future climate scenarios. Environmental forcing was incorporated to mimic the declines in sea ice, and increases in temperature causing shifts in the food web from an ice algae–benthos–benthic fish pathway to a spring bloom–zooplankton–planktivorous fish dominated ecosystem. Future simulations indicate some stocks are unable to sustain current harvest levels until the end of the future simulations (2069), and may be extirpated (narwhal, eastern Hudson Bay beluga, polar bears, and walrus). Larger populations of marine mammals (ringed seals and western Hudson Bay beluga) are identified to increase in biomass even under extreme harvest and climate scenarios (a high future climate scenario coupled with a doubling in harvest rates). Harvest mortality is highlighted as an important stressor for some marine mammal stocks and should be investigated further when setting future harvest or conservation targets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]