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Melting Arctic sea ice may be attracting more killer whales to Canada's far
northern waters, and that could mean some Inuit hunters will be competing
directly with the majestic marine mammals for food, a group of researchers say.
"For a number of years, Inuit hunters in the eastern Arctic have been reporting
that the number of killer whales is increasing," Jeff Higdon, a graduate student
at the University of Manitoba, working with the federal Department of Fisheries
and Oceans, said Friday.
"Of course the killer whales that are in the Arctic are eating a lot of the same
marine mammals that Inuit hunters depend on."
Killer whales, or orcas, are the biggest members of the dolphin family and are
found around the world. They are often seen in Canadian waters, though they are
not as common in the far north.
The latest data compiled by Higdon and other researchers, who began researching
the ...