Feb. 6, 2025
Polar Bears Affected by Climate Change
Polar bears affected by climate change saw the Hudson Bay population decrease from 1,200 individuals to 600 individuals. We explore the alarming decline of polar bear populations in the western part of Hudson Bay, Canada. Scientists have recorded a...
Polar bears affected by climate change saw the Hudson Bay population decrease from 1,200 individuals to 600 individuals. We explore the alarming decline of polar bear populations in the western part of Hudson Bay, Canada. Scientists have recorded a drastic decrease from 1,200 to 600 individuals, largely due to climate change and the loss of Arctic sea ice. We discuss the impact of rising temperatures, shifting food sources, and conservation efforts to protect these iconic predators. Join us as we uncover the latest research, the challenges ahead, and what can be done to support polar bear conservation in the face of a warming planet.
Link to article: https://abcnews.go.com/US/climate-change-impacted-polar-bear-populations/story?id=118217343
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Transcript
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Polar bears in the western part of Hudson
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Bay in Canada are in trouble.
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In fact, their population has declined
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from 1,200 individuals
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to 600 individuals over
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the last four decades.
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On this episode of the How to Protect the
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Ocean podcast, we are
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going to discuss what
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the cause was, what the effect is, and
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how do we right the ship.
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Let's start the show.
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Hey, everybody.
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Welcome back to another exciting episode
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of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast.
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I'm your host, Andrew Lewin, and this is
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the podcast where you
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find out what's happening
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with the ocean, how you can speak up for
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the ocean, what you can
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do to live for a better
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ocean by taking action.
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And on today's episode, we're going to be
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talking about polar bears and the decline
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of a population in
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the western Hudson Bay.
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It's been studied for
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the last four decades.
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We have long-term data and we finally
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have the answer of how
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climate change is a polar
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bears. So we're going to talk all about that.
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But before we get into it, if you're new
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on this podcast and you
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are just watching this
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on YouTube for the first time or on
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Spotify, or you're
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listening to this on your favorite
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podcast app, first thing you do
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subscribe, hit that notification bell.
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But also, if you want more information on
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how to protect the
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ocean, you can go to our
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website speakupforblue.com.
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And if you want information to your inbox
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from that site, you can
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go to speakupforblue.com
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forward slash newsletter and
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sign up for our newsletter.
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Let's get into the show.
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This is really what's happened.
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There were 1200
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individuals four decades ago.
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Now there are 600 individuals.
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And throughout my career as a marine
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biologist, including
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schooling, I always knew that polar
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bears were the canary in the
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coal mine for climate change.
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We knew that these massive animals, seven
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foot high, big bear,
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big white bear, strong,
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they can hunt from kilometers away.
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They will eat pretty much anything that
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comes in their way,
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but they prefer seals.
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They prefer those marine mammals that are
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in the sea that they
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can cast that are high
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in fatty tissue.
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That's what they want.
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That gives them their energy.
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It's harsh up in the Arctic.
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It is cold.
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It is windy.
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There's not a lot of food on the ground.
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So they go out to sea and they require
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sea ice to float out at sea.
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And over the last four decades, we've
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seen that decline of sea
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ice due to climate change.
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That's the warming of the
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planet causing ice to melt.
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So less ice is available.
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That means less ice floats are available
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for them to use to rest.
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This is what happens during
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a certain time of the year.
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The polar bears will come down to the
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Western part of the Hudson's Bay.
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They will wait for the
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ice floats to come in.
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So it's broken up ice that come in.
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They'll start swimming out and they'll
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rest on the sea ice.
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In fact, if they actually catch a seal,
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they will use the ice
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float to eat the seals.
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They have time and they can rest.
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It's hard to float when
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you're that big of an animal.
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And so you want to be able to rest and
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eat and enjoy your meal
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and then go back out and
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look for more hunt, right?
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This is a big part of their feeding.
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They need to hunt in the
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water and on ice floats.
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And if they can't do that,
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then they have a problem.
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Then they can't eat.
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They do not have the energy to actually
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go out at sea because
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they are not eating.
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So they start to waste away inside.
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There's not enough sea ice.
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They have to find enough for them to go
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back and say, "Hey, you know what?
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I need to find food.
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Where am I going to find food?
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I'll start looking on land."
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I'm not sure if you've seen the Arctic,
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but there's not a lot around.
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You get maybe some foxes.
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You might get some other bears around.
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You might get some wolves around.
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You might get some
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birds and stuff like that.
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Birds and berries.
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That's what they scour for.
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But there's not a lot around.
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And so they need to find
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the food as fast as they can.
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They need to find out the travel a lot.
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That means they're using
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more energy to find that food.
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And they found out that their energetic
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content is just a lot lower.
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There was a study out of the University
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of Toronto by Dr.
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Louise Archer, lead author
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of the study and an international
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postdoctoral fellow at the university.
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She said, "The melting of sea ice has
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shortened the polar bears
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feeding season, which has
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resulted in an energy deficit for the
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bears for longer stretches of the year."
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So researchers have actually known for
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sometimes that the
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population is in trouble.
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Peter Molnar, who is the senior author of
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the study and associate
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professor at the University
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of Toronto in Scarborough, they created a
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bioenergetic model that could incorporate
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the different ways the polar bears have
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been affected by the sea loss.
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So combined with analysis of four decades
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on research, which is
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a lot of data on the
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Hudson's Bay population, the scientists
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were able to determine
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the underlying mechanisms
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of driving these changes.
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When we run the numbers, we show a
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declining reproductive
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size in this region over the
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last four decades.
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What happens when you can't eat properly,
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you start to waste away.
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And if you start to waste away, your body
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starts to get really
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tight in terms of holding
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on to certain parts of your
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body that needs to survive.
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So that means your
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reproduction goes down.
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That means your overall health goes down.
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You lose a lot of your fatty tissue
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because your body's
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trying to dissolve that energy
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to try and survive and just try and use
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that energy up to get more food.
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But it's really difficult.
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So if a bear tries to catch a seal in
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open water, the seal
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will outswim the bear pretty
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much every time.
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It's got to be from the top into the
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water and drag the seal on top.
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That's not an easy thing to do, but it's
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easier for the polar
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bear because it can put
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its four paws or three paws on the sea
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ice and then dip one paw in.
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If you ever been to the zoo and you've
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seen polar bears at the
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zoo and you see they have
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like a toy, it's like
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enrichment essentially.
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And it's basically like a big bin, right?
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It's a plastic bin that has holes in it
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so it can get the water in.
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And what the polar bear will do is it'll
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dip its paw in and grab
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the barrel and lift it
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out and on top of the water.
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That's almost like a workout.
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It's almost like taking a dumbbell for
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it, although it weighs
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probably like a thousand
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pounds and it'll lift up the barrel and
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it's like lifting up the
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dumbbell and putting on
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the ground.
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It's kind of working out to practice
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using its paw to get the
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seal onto the ice float,
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right?
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Obviously they're not eating seals when
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they're in the zoo, but
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that's what they're trying
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to mimic.
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So it has that same
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type of body type, right?
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It has the same type of muscle memory
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when it starts to take things out.
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So it's always good to
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have that type of enrichment.
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So how do we fix this?
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It's not an easy fix and there are people
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out there that are working hard.
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So the first one is the
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polar bear international.
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So polar bear international is actually
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working really hard to try and help these
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polar bears survive
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and try and keep their
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population stable instead of declining.
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So they do things in about five different
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pillars, which I'll read off here.
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So they are big on to research.
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So PBI conducts scientific studies to
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understand polar bear behavior, health
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and public and population dynamics.
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Plus technology such as GPS collars and
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drones to monitor movements and assess
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the impacts of climate
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01:06:14,375 --> 01:06:16,333
change on polar bear populations.
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They also to go through education through
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initiatives like Tugger Connections
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webcasts and the polar bear cam.
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PBI provides educational content of
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schools, communities and the public
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raising awareness about the challenges
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polar bears face in the
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importance of Arctic ecosystems.
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Advocacy. PBI engages with policymakers
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and international conservation groups to
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promote protective
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measures to polar bears.
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They participate in development of
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conservation strategies and provide
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scientific data to inform policy
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decisions and community
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engagement. Recognize the
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01:06:46,083 --> 01:06:47,500
importance of local government.
269
01:06:47,750 --> 01:06:49,541
PBI collaborates with Arctic communities
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01:06:49,541 --> 01:06:52,666
to develop systems to minimize human
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01:06:52,666 --> 01:06:53,875
polar bear conflicts
272
01:06:53,875 --> 01:06:55,083
and support coexistence.
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01:06:55,416 --> 01:06:57,125
And the last pillar public awareness
274
01:06:57,125 --> 01:06:58,750
campaigns. Events like the International
275
01:06:58,750 --> 01:07:01,166
Polar Bear Day on February 27th aim to
276
01:07:01,166 --> 01:07:02,875
highlight the effects of climate change
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01:07:02,875 --> 01:07:04,750
on polar bears and encourage global
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01:07:04,750 --> 01:07:06,625
action to reduce carbon emissions.
279
01:07:06,625 --> 01:07:08,583
So through these efforts, PBI strives to
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01:07:08,583 --> 01:07:10,250
ensure a future where polar bears can
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01:07:10,250 --> 01:07:11,708
continue to thrive in
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01:07:11,708 --> 01:07:13,083
their natural habitats.
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01:07:13,083 --> 01:07:14,416
This is not easy work. The biggest thing
284
01:07:14,416 --> 01:07:15,833
that we need to do is we need to cut down
285
01:07:15,833 --> 01:07:17,416
on climate change emissions.
286
01:07:17,416 --> 01:07:19,916
We need to engage with local communities
287
01:07:19,916 --> 01:07:22,166
to ensure that they are minimizing their
288
01:07:22,166 --> 01:07:23,583
contact with polar bears as they come
289
01:07:23,583 --> 01:07:25,083
more on land to hunt.
290
01:07:25,125 --> 01:07:27,125
As well as ensure that they are
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01:07:27,125 --> 01:07:29,166
knowledgeable on what's happening and not
292
01:07:29,166 --> 01:07:30,750
just they are knowledgeable. Local
293
01:07:30,750 --> 01:07:32,666
communities teach scientists about their
294
01:07:32,666 --> 01:07:34,583
knowledge of polar bear movements and how
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01:07:34,583 --> 01:07:35,750
that has changed over
296
01:07:35,750 --> 01:07:37,500
the last hundreds of years.
297
01:07:37,500 --> 01:07:39,208
For decades is a lot of information, but
298
01:07:39,208 --> 01:07:40,833
knowing that information over the last
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01:07:40,833 --> 01:07:42,458
couple of centuries is really great.
300
01:07:42,750 --> 01:07:44,166
And local communities in these areas
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01:07:44,166 --> 01:07:45,416
typically tend to be
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01:07:45,416 --> 01:07:46,375
indigenous communities.
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01:07:46,375 --> 01:07:48,041
They just have that knowledge going back
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01:07:48,041 --> 01:07:49,583
for centuries through their storytelling.
305
01:07:49,833 --> 01:07:51,375
So it'll be really interesting to see how
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01:07:51,375 --> 01:07:53,208
that knowledge exchange works to protect
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01:07:53,208 --> 01:07:54,291
polar bears in the future.
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01:07:54,291 --> 01:07:56,208
But the big part of it is we need to
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01:07:56,208 --> 01:07:58,791
ensure that climate change is addressed
310
01:07:58,791 --> 01:08:00,125
because the Arctic is the
311
01:08:00,125 --> 01:08:02,000
first thing to start to feel it.
312
01:08:02,000 --> 01:08:03,958
We now know that the population of polar
313
01:08:03,958 --> 01:08:06,000
bears have declined by half over the past
314
01:08:06,000 --> 01:08:07,416
four decades and we don't
315
01:08:07,416 --> 01:08:08,541
want to lose these polar bears.
316
01:08:08,541 --> 01:08:10,375
These are very important predators to our
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01:08:10,375 --> 01:08:12,708
ecosystem and they need to be there and
318
01:08:12,708 --> 01:08:13,583
we need to protect them.
319
01:08:14,166 --> 01:08:15,375
That's it for today's episode.
320
01:08:15,625 --> 01:08:17,375
I want to share that with you because I
321
01:08:17,375 --> 01:08:18,541
think it's really important to know it's
322
01:08:18,541 --> 01:08:20,416
not the best news, obviously, but it's
323
01:08:20,416 --> 01:08:22,125
news that we need to know what's
324
01:08:22,125 --> 01:08:24,000
happening up in Hudson Bay and what's happening up in Hudson Bay.
325
01:08:24,000 --> 01:08:25,708
And what's happening with the loss of our
326
01:08:25,708 --> 01:08:26,791
sea ice and how that's
327
01:08:26,791 --> 01:08:28,291
affecting polar bear populations.
328
01:08:28,625 --> 01:08:29,666
If you have any questions or comments,
329
01:08:29,958 --> 01:08:32,083
please leave a comment down below either
330
01:08:32,083 --> 01:08:33,916
on YouTube or on Spotify.
331
01:08:34,166 --> 01:08:35,166
And if you're listening on this on a
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01:08:35,166 --> 01:08:37,083
favorite podcast app, hit me up on
333
01:08:37,083 --> 01:08:39,125
Instagram at how to protect the ocean.
334
01:08:39,125 --> 01:08:40,583
That's at how to protect the ocean.
335
01:08:40,958 --> 01:08:42,708
And don't forget to hit subscribe and hit
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that notification bell on YouTube so that
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01:08:44,541 --> 01:08:46,083
you don't miss any of the episodes we put
338
01:08:46,083 --> 01:08:48,291
out Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
339
01:08:48,291 --> 01:08:49,791
I want to thank you so much for joining
340
01:08:49,791 --> 01:08:51,208
me on today's episode of the how to
341
01:08:51,208 --> 01:08:52,250
protect the ocean from the
342
01:08:52,250 --> 01:08:53,375
true North strong and free.
343
01:08:53,416 --> 01:08:54,250
My name is Andrew.
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01:08:54,416 --> 01:08:55,333
Have a great day.
345
01:08:55,333 --> 01:08:55,875
We'll talk to you next
346
01:08:55,875 --> 01:08:57,416
time and happy conservation.
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:01,833
Polar bears in the western part of Hudson
2
01:00:01,833 --> 01:00:03,708
Bay in Canada are in trouble.
3
01:00:03,708 --> 01:00:05,916
In fact, their population has declined
4
01:00:05,916 --> 01:00:07,583
from 1,200 individuals
5
01:00:07,583 --> 01:00:09,458
to 600 individuals over
6
01:00:09,458 --> 01:00:10,791
the last four decades.
7
01:00:10,791 --> 01:00:12,541
On this episode of the How to Protect the
8
01:00:12,541 --> 01:00:13,625
Ocean podcast, we are
9
01:00:13,625 --> 01:00:15,000
going to discuss what
10
01:00:15,000 --> 01:00:17,333
the cause was, what the effect is, and
11
01:00:17,333 --> 01:00:18,458
how do we right the ship.
12
01:00:18,708 --> 01:00:19,375
Let's start the show.
13
01:00:22,708 --> 01:00:23,125
Hey, everybody.
14
01:00:23,125 --> 01:00:24,500
Welcome back to another exciting episode
15
01:00:24,500 --> 01:00:25,708
of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast.
16
01:00:25,958 --> 01:00:27,250
I'm your host, Andrew Lewin, and this is
17
01:00:27,250 --> 01:00:27,750
the podcast where you
18
01:00:27,750 --> 01:00:28,416
find out what's happening
19
01:00:28,500 --> 01:00:30,166
with the ocean, how you can speak up for
20
01:00:30,166 --> 01:00:30,875
the ocean, what you can
21
01:00:30,875 --> 01:00:31,750
do to live for a better
22
01:00:31,791 --> 01:00:33,416
ocean by taking action.
23
01:00:33,750 --> 01:00:34,583
And on today's episode, we're going to be
24
01:00:34,583 --> 01:00:36,416
talking about polar bears and the decline
25
01:00:36,416 --> 01:00:37,541
of a population in
26
01:00:37,541 --> 01:00:39,166
the western Hudson Bay.
27
01:00:39,166 --> 01:00:40,083
It's been studied for
28
01:00:40,083 --> 01:00:40,958
the last four decades.
29
01:00:41,208 --> 01:00:43,375
We have long-term data and we finally
30
01:00:43,375 --> 01:00:45,000
have the answer of how
31
01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:47,333
climate change is a polar
32
01:00:47,750 --> 01:00:49,166
bears. So we're going to talk all about that.
33
01:00:49,166 --> 01:00:50,250
But before we get into it, if you're new
34
01:00:50,250 --> 01:00:51,291
on this podcast and you
35
01:00:51,291 --> 01:00:51,916
are just watching this
36
01:00:51,916 --> 01:00:53,291
on YouTube for the first time or on
37
01:00:53,291 --> 01:00:54,333
Spotify, or you're
38
01:00:54,333 --> 01:00:55,083
listening to this on your favorite
39
01:00:55,166 --> 01:00:56,625
podcast app, first thing you do
40
01:00:56,625 --> 01:00:58,375
subscribe, hit that notification bell.
41
01:00:58,791 --> 01:01:00,666
But also, if you want more information on
42
01:01:00,666 --> 01:01:01,333
how to protect the
43
01:01:01,333 --> 01:01:02,166
ocean, you can go to our
44
01:01:02,166 --> 01:01:04,000
website speakupforblue.com.
45
01:01:04,000 --> 01:01:06,041
And if you want information to your inbox
46
01:01:06,041 --> 01:01:07,500
from that site, you can
47
01:01:07,500 --> 01:01:09,458
go to speakupforblue.com
48
01:01:09,458 --> 01:01:11,125
forward slash newsletter and
49
01:01:11,125 --> 01:01:12,625
sign up for our newsletter.
50
01:01:12,875 --> 01:01:14,000
Let's get into the show.
51
01:01:14,000 --> 01:01:15,250
This is really what's happened.
52
01:01:15,500 --> 01:01:15,958
There were 1200
53
01:01:15,958 --> 01:01:17,500
individuals four decades ago.
54
01:01:17,500 --> 01:01:18,875
Now there are 600 individuals.
55
01:01:19,083 --> 01:01:20,750
And throughout my career as a marine
56
01:01:20,750 --> 01:01:21,833
biologist, including
57
01:01:21,833 --> 01:01:24,041
schooling, I always knew that polar
58
01:01:24,041 --> 01:01:25,500
bears were the canary in the
59
01:01:25,500 --> 01:01:27,208
coal mine for climate change.
60
01:01:27,208 --> 01:01:29,375
We knew that these massive animals, seven
61
01:01:29,375 --> 01:01:31,625
foot high, big bear,
62
01:01:31,625 --> 01:01:33,041
big white bear, strong,
63
01:01:33,333 --> 01:01:35,000
they can hunt from kilometers away.
64
01:01:35,333 --> 01:01:37,000
They will eat pretty much anything that
65
01:01:37,000 --> 01:01:37,958
comes in their way,
66
01:01:37,958 --> 01:01:39,375
but they prefer seals.
67
01:01:39,833 --> 01:01:42,000
They prefer those marine mammals that are
68
01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:42,791
in the sea that they
69
01:01:42,791 --> 01:01:43,916
can cast that are high
70
01:01:44,041 --> 01:01:45,708
in fatty tissue.
71
01:01:45,708 --> 01:01:46,625
That's what they want.
72
01:01:46,625 --> 01:01:47,916
That gives them their energy.
73
01:01:47,916 --> 01:01:49,416
It's harsh up in the Arctic.
74
01:01:49,416 --> 01:01:50,083
It is cold.
75
01:01:50,333 --> 01:01:51,375
It is windy.
76
01:01:51,458 --> 01:01:53,041
There's not a lot of food on the ground.
77
01:01:53,333 --> 01:01:55,666
So they go out to sea and they require
78
01:01:55,666 --> 01:01:57,916
sea ice to float out at sea.
79
01:01:58,125 --> 01:01:59,500
And over the last four decades, we've
80
01:01:59,500 --> 01:02:00,625
seen that decline of sea
81
01:02:00,625 --> 01:02:01,916
ice due to climate change.
82
01:02:02,166 --> 01:02:02,916
That's the warming of the
83
01:02:02,916 --> 01:02:04,500
planet causing ice to melt.
84
01:02:04,500 --> 01:02:05,666
So less ice is available.
85
01:02:05,916 --> 01:02:07,500
That means less ice floats are available
86
01:02:07,500 --> 01:02:08,916
for them to use to rest.
87
01:02:09,125 --> 01:02:10,416
This is what happens during
88
01:02:10,416 --> 01:02:11,666
a certain time of the year.
89
01:02:11,666 --> 01:02:13,250
The polar bears will come down to the
90
01:02:13,250 --> 01:02:15,041
Western part of the Hudson's Bay.
91
01:02:15,041 --> 01:02:16,125
They will wait for the
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01:02:16,125 --> 01:02:16,958
ice floats to come in.
93
01:02:16,958 --> 01:02:18,458
So it's broken up ice that come in.
94
01:02:18,500 --> 01:02:20,000
They'll start swimming out and they'll
95
01:02:20,000 --> 01:02:21,875
rest on the sea ice.
96
01:02:21,875 --> 01:02:23,666
In fact, if they actually catch a seal,
97
01:02:24,000 --> 01:02:24,666
they will use the ice
98
01:02:24,666 --> 01:02:25,916
float to eat the seals.
99
01:02:25,916 --> 01:02:27,333
They have time and they can rest.
100
01:02:27,500 --> 01:02:28,541
It's hard to float when
101
01:02:28,541 --> 01:02:29,750
you're that big of an animal.
102
01:02:30,000 --> 01:02:31,708
And so you want to be able to rest and
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01:02:31,708 --> 01:02:33,125
eat and enjoy your meal
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01:02:33,125 --> 01:02:34,708
and then go back out and
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01:02:34,708 --> 01:02:35,958
look for more hunt, right?
106
01:02:36,166 --> 01:02:38,291
This is a big part of their feeding.
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01:02:38,541 --> 01:02:39,416
They need to hunt in the
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01:02:39,416 --> 01:02:41,083
water and on ice floats.
109
01:02:41,083 --> 01:02:42,375
And if they can't do that,
110
01:02:42,375 --> 01:02:43,500
then they have a problem.
111
01:02:43,750 --> 01:02:44,708
Then they can't eat.
112
01:02:44,791 --> 01:02:47,000
They do not have the energy to actually
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01:02:47,000 --> 01:02:48,208
go out at sea because
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01:02:48,208 --> 01:02:48,916
they are not eating.
115
01:02:49,125 --> 01:02:50,958
So they start to waste away inside.
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01:02:51,166 --> 01:02:52,000
There's not enough sea ice.
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01:02:52,166 --> 01:02:54,666
They have to find enough for them to go
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01:02:54,666 --> 01:02:56,458
back and say, "Hey, you know what?
119
01:02:56,458 --> 01:02:57,333
I need to find food.
120
01:02:57,666 --> 01:02:58,625
Where am I going to find food?
121
01:02:58,625 --> 01:02:59,916
I'll start looking on land."
122
01:02:59,916 --> 01:03:01,041
I'm not sure if you've seen the Arctic,
123
01:03:01,041 --> 01:03:02,500
but there's not a lot around.
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01:03:02,500 --> 01:03:05,000
You get maybe some foxes.
125
01:03:05,000 --> 01:03:06,708
You might get some other bears around.
126
01:03:07,208 --> 01:03:08,916
You might get some wolves around.
127
01:03:08,916 --> 01:03:09,416
You might get some
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01:03:09,416 --> 01:03:10,458
birds and stuff like that.
129
01:03:10,583 --> 01:03:11,250
Birds and berries.
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01:03:11,458 --> 01:03:12,708
That's what they scour for.
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01:03:12,708 --> 01:03:14,041
But there's not a lot around.
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01:03:14,333 --> 01:03:15,166
And so they need to find
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01:03:15,166 --> 01:03:16,291
the food as fast as they can.
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01:03:16,291 --> 01:03:17,708
They need to find out the travel a lot.
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01:03:17,708 --> 01:03:18,291
That means they're using
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01:03:18,291 --> 01:03:20,333
more energy to find that food.
137
01:03:20,583 --> 01:03:22,791
And they found out that their energetic
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01:03:22,791 --> 01:03:24,875
content is just a lot lower.
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01:03:25,083 --> 01:03:27,750
There was a study out of the University
140
01:03:27,750 --> 01:03:29,500
of Toronto by Dr.
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01:03:29,500 --> 01:03:30,750
Louise Archer, lead author
142
01:03:30,750 --> 01:03:32,250
of the study and an international
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01:03:32,250 --> 01:03:34,083
postdoctoral fellow at the university.
144
01:03:34,333 --> 01:03:35,625
She said, "The melting of sea ice has
145
01:03:35,625 --> 01:03:36,708
shortened the polar bears
146
01:03:36,708 --> 01:03:37,958
feeding season, which has
147
01:03:37,958 --> 01:03:40,000
resulted in an energy deficit for the
148
01:03:40,000 --> 01:03:42,500
bears for longer stretches of the year."
149
01:03:42,583 --> 01:03:44,125
So researchers have actually known for
150
01:03:44,125 --> 01:03:44,708
sometimes that the
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01:03:44,708 --> 01:03:45,708
population is in trouble.
152
01:03:46,041 --> 01:03:47,708
Peter Molnar, who is the senior author of
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01:03:47,708 --> 01:03:48,833
the study and associate
154
01:03:48,833 --> 01:03:49,708
professor at the University
155
01:03:49,708 --> 01:03:52,041
of Toronto in Scarborough, they created a
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01:03:52,041 --> 01:03:54,875
bioenergetic model that could incorporate
157
01:03:55,041 --> 01:03:56,833
the different ways the polar bears have
158
01:03:56,833 --> 01:03:58,166
been affected by the sea loss.
159
01:03:58,500 --> 01:04:00,333
So combined with analysis of four decades
160
01:04:00,333 --> 01:04:01,291
on research, which is
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01:04:01,291 --> 01:04:02,416
a lot of data on the
162
01:04:02,416 --> 01:04:04,166
Hudson's Bay population, the scientists
163
01:04:04,166 --> 01:04:05,375
were able to determine
164
01:04:05,375 --> 01:04:06,583
the underlying mechanisms
165
01:04:06,708 --> 01:04:07,875
of driving these changes.
166
01:04:07,875 --> 01:04:09,500
When we run the numbers, we show a
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01:04:09,500 --> 01:04:10,458
declining reproductive
168
01:04:10,458 --> 01:04:12,166
size in this region over the
169
01:04:12,166 --> 01:04:13,791
last four decades.
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01:04:14,333 --> 01:04:15,583
What happens when you can't eat properly,
171
01:04:16,083 --> 01:04:17,125
you start to waste away.
172
01:04:17,375 --> 01:04:19,250
And if you start to waste away, your body
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01:04:19,250 --> 01:04:20,250
starts to get really
174
01:04:20,250 --> 01:04:21,500
tight in terms of holding
175
01:04:21,583 --> 01:04:23,250
on to certain parts of your
176
01:04:23,250 --> 01:04:24,750
body that needs to survive.
177
01:04:25,083 --> 01:04:25,625
So that means your
178
01:04:25,625 --> 01:04:26,958
reproduction goes down.
179
01:04:26,958 --> 01:04:28,750
That means your overall health goes down.
180
01:04:28,750 --> 01:04:30,000
You lose a lot of your fatty tissue
181
01:04:30,000 --> 01:04:30,625
because your body's
182
01:04:30,625 --> 01:04:32,000
trying to dissolve that energy
183
01:04:32,166 --> 01:04:34,458
to try and survive and just try and use
184
01:04:34,458 --> 01:04:36,208
that energy up to get more food.
185
01:04:36,208 --> 01:04:37,583
But it's really difficult.
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01:04:37,583 --> 01:04:39,041
So if a bear tries to catch a seal in
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01:04:39,041 --> 01:04:40,083
open water, the seal
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01:04:40,083 --> 01:04:41,166
will outswim the bear pretty
189
01:04:41,208 --> 01:04:42,125
much every time.
190
01:04:42,125 --> 01:04:44,000
It's got to be from the top into the
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01:04:44,000 --> 01:04:46,000
water and drag the seal on top.
192
01:04:46,208 --> 01:04:47,541
That's not an easy thing to do, but it's
193
01:04:47,541 --> 01:04:48,791
easier for the polar
194
01:04:48,791 --> 01:04:49,791
bear because it can put
195
01:04:49,791 --> 01:04:51,625
its four paws or three paws on the sea
196
01:04:51,625 --> 01:04:53,125
ice and then dip one paw in.
197
01:04:53,333 --> 01:04:55,041
If you ever been to the zoo and you've
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01:04:55,041 --> 01:04:56,166
seen polar bears at the
199
01:04:56,166 --> 01:04:57,125
zoo and you see they have
200
01:04:57,291 --> 01:04:58,500
like a toy, it's like
201
01:04:58,500 --> 01:04:59,416
enrichment essentially.
202
01:04:59,708 --> 01:05:01,750
And it's basically like a big bin, right?
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It's a plastic bin that has holes in it
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so it can get the water in.
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And what the polar bear will do is it'll
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dip its paw in and grab
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the barrel and lift it
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out and on top of the water.
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That's almost like a workout.
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It's almost like taking a dumbbell for
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it, although it weighs
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probably like a thousand
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01:05:16,500 --> 01:05:19,166
pounds and it'll lift up the barrel and
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01:05:19,166 --> 01:05:19,791
it's like lifting up the
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01:05:19,791 --> 01:05:20,500
dumbbell and putting on
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01:05:20,500 --> 01:05:20,916
the ground.
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01:05:21,083 --> 01:05:23,000
It's kind of working out to practice
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01:05:23,000 --> 01:05:25,291
using its paw to get the
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01:05:25,291 --> 01:05:26,916
seal onto the ice float,
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right?
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Obviously they're not eating seals when
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they're in the zoo, but
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that's what they're trying
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to mimic.
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So it has that same
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type of body type, right?
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It has the same type of muscle memory
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01:05:35,875 --> 01:05:38,125
when it starts to take things out.
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So it's always good to
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have that type of enrichment.
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01:05:40,541 --> 01:05:41,625
So how do we fix this?
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It's not an easy fix and there are people
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out there that are working hard.
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So the first one is the
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polar bear international.
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So polar bear international is actually
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working really hard to try and help these
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polar bears survive
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and try and keep their
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population stable instead of declining.
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So they do things in about five different
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pillars, which I'll read off here.
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So they are big on to research.
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So PBI conducts scientific studies to
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understand polar bear behavior, health
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01:06:06,625 --> 01:06:08,750
and public and population dynamics.
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Plus technology such as GPS collars and
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01:06:11,375 --> 01:06:13,458
drones to monitor movements and assess
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01:06:13,458 --> 01:06:14,375
the impacts of climate
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01:06:14,375 --> 01:06:16,333
change on polar bear populations.
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They also to go through education through
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01:06:18,041 --> 01:06:19,500
initiatives like Tugger Connections
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01:06:19,500 --> 01:06:21,375
webcasts and the polar bear cam.
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01:06:21,375 --> 01:06:23,875
PBI provides educational content of
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01:06:23,875 --> 01:06:25,708
schools, communities and the public
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01:06:25,708 --> 01:06:27,541
raising awareness about the challenges
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01:06:27,541 --> 01:06:28,750
polar bears face in the
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01:06:28,750 --> 01:06:30,166
importance of Arctic ecosystems.
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01:06:30,833 --> 01:06:32,958
Advocacy. PBI engages with policymakers
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01:06:32,958 --> 01:06:35,458
and international conservation groups to
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01:06:35,458 --> 01:06:36,333
promote protective
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01:06:36,333 --> 01:06:37,750
measures to polar bears.
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01:06:38,000 --> 01:06:39,416
They participate in development of
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01:06:39,416 --> 01:06:41,375
conservation strategies and provide
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01:06:41,375 --> 01:06:43,375
scientific data to inform policy
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01:06:43,375 --> 01:06:44,666
decisions and community
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01:06:44,708 --> 01:06:46,083
engagement. Recognize the
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01:06:46,083 --> 01:06:47,500
importance of local government.
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01:06:47,750 --> 01:06:49,541
PBI collaborates with Arctic communities
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01:06:49,541 --> 01:06:52,666
to develop systems to minimize human
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01:06:52,666 --> 01:06:53,875
polar bear conflicts
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01:06:53,875 --> 01:06:55,083
and support coexistence.
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01:06:55,416 --> 01:06:57,125
And the last pillar public awareness
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01:06:57,125 --> 01:06:58,750
campaigns. Events like the International
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01:06:58,750 --> 01:07:01,166
Polar Bear Day on February 27th aim to
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01:07:01,166 --> 01:07:02,875
highlight the effects of climate change
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01:07:02,875 --> 01:07:04,750
on polar bears and encourage global
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01:07:04,750 --> 01:07:06,625
action to reduce carbon emissions.
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01:07:06,625 --> 01:07:08,583
So through these efforts, PBI strives to
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01:07:08,583 --> 01:07:10,250
ensure a future where polar bears can
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01:07:10,250 --> 01:07:11,708
continue to thrive in
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01:07:11,708 --> 01:07:13,083
their natural habitats.
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01:07:13,083 --> 01:07:14,416
This is not easy work. The biggest thing
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01:07:14,416 --> 01:07:15,833
that we need to do is we need to cut down
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01:07:15,833 --> 01:07:17,416
on climate change emissions.
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01:07:17,416 --> 01:07:19,916
We need to engage with local communities
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01:07:19,916 --> 01:07:22,166
to ensure that they are minimizing their
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01:07:22,166 --> 01:07:23,583
contact with polar bears as they come
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01:07:23,583 --> 01:07:25,083
more on land to hunt.
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01:07:25,125 --> 01:07:27,125
As well as ensure that they are
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01:07:27,125 --> 01:07:29,166
knowledgeable on what's happening and not
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01:07:29,166 --> 01:07:30,750
just they are knowledgeable. Local
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01:07:30,750 --> 01:07:32,666
communities teach scientists about their
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01:07:32,666 --> 01:07:34,583
knowledge of polar bear movements and how
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01:07:34,583 --> 01:07:35,750
that has changed over
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01:07:35,750 --> 01:07:37,500
the last hundreds of years.
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01:07:37,500 --> 01:07:39,208
For decades is a lot of information, but
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01:07:39,208 --> 01:07:40,833
knowing that information over the last
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01:07:40,833 --> 01:07:42,458
couple of centuries is really great.
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01:07:42,750 --> 01:07:44,166
And local communities in these areas
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01:07:44,166 --> 01:07:45,416
typically tend to be
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01:07:45,416 --> 01:07:46,375
indigenous communities.
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01:07:46,375 --> 01:07:48,041
They just have that knowledge going back
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01:07:48,041 --> 01:07:49,583
for centuries through their storytelling.
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01:07:49,833 --> 01:07:51,375
So it'll be really interesting to see how
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01:07:51,375 --> 01:07:53,208
that knowledge exchange works to protect
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01:07:53,208 --> 01:07:54,291
polar bears in the future.
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01:07:54,291 --> 01:07:56,208
But the big part of it is we need to
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01:07:56,208 --> 01:07:58,791
ensure that climate change is addressed
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01:07:58,791 --> 01:08:00,125
because the Arctic is the
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01:08:00,125 --> 01:08:02,000
first thing to start to feel it.
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01:08:02,000 --> 01:08:03,958
We now know that the population of polar
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01:08:03,958 --> 01:08:06,000
bears have declined by half over the past
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01:08:06,000 --> 01:08:07,416
four decades and we don't
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01:08:07,416 --> 01:08:08,541
want to lose these polar bears.
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01:08:08,541 --> 01:08:10,375
These are very important predators to our
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01:08:10,375 --> 01:08:12,708
ecosystem and they need to be there and
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01:08:12,708 --> 01:08:13,583
we need to protect them.
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01:08:14,166 --> 01:08:15,375
That's it for today's episode.
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01:08:15,625 --> 01:08:17,375
I want to share that with you because I
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01:08:17,375 --> 01:08:18,541
think it's really important to know it's
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01:08:18,541 --> 01:08:20,416
not the best news, obviously, but it's
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01:08:20,416 --> 01:08:22,125
news that we need to know what's
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01:08:22,125 --> 01:08:24,000
happening up in Hudson Bay and what's happening up in Hudson Bay.
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01:08:24,000 --> 01:08:25,708
And what's happening with the loss of our
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01:08:25,708 --> 01:08:26,791
sea ice and how that's
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01:08:26,791 --> 01:08:28,291
affecting polar bear populations.
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01:08:28,625 --> 01:08:29,666
If you have any questions or comments,
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01:08:29,958 --> 01:08:32,083
please leave a comment down below either
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01:08:32,083 --> 01:08:33,916
on YouTube or on Spotify.
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01:08:34,166 --> 01:08:35,166
And if you're listening on this on a
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01:08:35,166 --> 01:08:37,083
favorite podcast app, hit me up on
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01:08:37,083 --> 01:08:39,125
Instagram at how to protect the ocean.
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That's at how to protect the ocean.
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01:08:40,958 --> 01:08:42,708
And don't forget to hit subscribe and hit
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you don't miss any of the episodes we put
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01:08:46,083 --> 01:08:48,291
out Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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01:08:48,291 --> 01:08:49,791
I want to thank you so much for joining
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01:08:49,791 --> 01:08:51,208
me on today's episode of the how to
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01:08:51,208 --> 01:08:52,250
protect the ocean from the
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01:08:52,250 --> 01:08:53,375
true North strong and free.
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01:08:53,416 --> 01:08:54,250
My name is Andrew.
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01:08:54,416 --> 01:08:55,333
Have a great day.
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01:08:55,333 --> 01:08:55,875
We'll talk to you next
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01:08:55,875 --> 01:08:57,416
time and happy conservation.
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