Bowhead Whales

Bowhead whales, or Balaena mysticetus, belong to a group of whales that have “baleen” instead of teeth, which help them collect krill and other food by filtering seawater through their enormous mouths. Arctic Peoples have hunted bowhead whales on a subsistence basis for centuries, but populations were decimated when commercial whaling began in the 16th century.

After being hunted to near extinction the bowhead received some protections in the early 1900s. Since then, some populations have made a comeback (Spitsbergen and Svalbard-Barents Sea) and seem to be benefitting from the changes in water temperature brought on by climate change. However, other populations (Eastern Canada-West Greenland) are not recovering, and all populations are facing new threats.

Predation by Orcas (also known as killer whales) is frequent and increasing in some areas. Bowhead whales are also extremely sensitive to acoustic disturbances coming from ship traffic, military activities, and oil exploration/extraction offshore. This is because these whales are highly vocal and communicate over long distances. Their songs have even been described as “bird-like” in complexity!

Bowhead whales are the only whale that remains in the Arctic year-round, but they still migrate within the region. Climate change has caused a shift in these seasonal migrations, altering when whales move and where they decide to go. These changes in migration patterns put fewer whales in reach of Arctic Peoples that rely on them for their nutrition and culture.