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Dr. Matt Gilbert, an assistant professor in the Institute of Arctic Biology, did not enter the field of animal physiology expecting to be involved in the production of a Netflix docuseries. However, after years of conducting research in the Canadian Arctic on the environmental drivers of fish health and performance, he was asked to be a subject matter expert for an episode of Our Oceans, a five-part Netflix series released in 2024. While reviewing the footage for the Arctic Ocean episode, much of which was collected near his remote study sites, Matt and co-authors observed phenomena that were novel or poorly documented by western science. The synthesis of these observations was recently published as a "Scientific Naturalist" paper in Ecology, posing exciting questions about movement ecology and resource pulses in highly seasonal areas.

Arctic char, the focal species of this paper, are migratory fish who annually travel from poor productivity freshwater areas to marine environments in search of food. At the end of their journey, Arctic char are rewarded with abundant resources, but also an unfortunate reality: they are not the only predators who have come here for food, and for those predators, char themselves are the prey. Footage from Our Oceans highlighted just how many predators can take advantage of the sudden influx of Arctic char, ranging from gulls and loons eating surprisingly large fish, to seals, and even to narwhals using their long tusks to first stun fish, then eat them. Combined, these observations show a potential pattern of synchronized migratory events, with predators and prey moving together. Dr. Gilbert and his collaborators raise the question of whether predator species are intentionally tracking prey pulses, or if exploitation of them is merely opportunistic, and showcase an excellent system in which to study these broader ecological concepts.

Link to faculty profile for Matt Gilbert