Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus): Report on the progress of management plan implementation for the period 2014 to 2019
Document information
Recommended citation: Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2022. Report on the Progress of Management Plan Implementation for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Canada for the Period 2014 to 2019. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Report Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. iv + 16 pp.
For copies of the progress report, or for additional information on species at risk, including Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) status reports, residence descriptions, action plans, and other related recovery documents, please visit the Species at Risk Public Registry.
Cover illustration: Gerald Kuehl (©2001)
Également disponible en français sous le titre:
« Rapport sur les progrès de la mise en œuvre du plan de gestion de la population de baleines boréales (Balaena mysticetus) des mers de Béring, des Tchouktches et de Beaufort au Canada pour la période de 2014 à 2019 »
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, 2022. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-660-40210-9
Catalogue no. En3-5/46-1-2022E-PDF
Content (excluding the illustrations) may be used without permission, with appropriate credit to the source.
Preface
The federal, provincial, and territorial government signatories under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996) agreed to establish complementary legislation and programs that provide for the protection of species at risk throughout Canada. Section 72 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) (S.C. 2002, c.29) requires the competent minister to report on the implementation of the management plan for a species at risk, and on the progress towards meeting its objectives within five years of the date when the management plan was placed on the Species at Risk Public Registry and in every subsequent five-year period, until its goals and objectives have been achieved or the species’ becomes threatened or endangered under SARA.
Reporting on the progress of management plan implementation requires reporting on the collective efforts of the competent minister, provincial organizations and all other parties involved in conducting activities that contribute towards the conservation of the species. Management plans identify broad strategies and measures for the conservation of species at risk. Some of the identified strategies and measures are sequential to the progress or completion of others; and not all may be undertaken or show significant progress during the time frame of a report on the progress of the management plan implementation (progress report).
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is the competent minister under SARA for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale and has prepared this progress report.
As stated in the preamble to SARA, success in the conservation of species at risk depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in the management plan and will not be achieved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) or any other jurisdiction alone. The cost of conserving species at risk is shared amongst different constituencies. All Canadians are invited to join in supporting and implementing the “Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Canada” for the benefit of the species and Canadian society as a whole.
Acknowledgments
This progress report was prepared by S.A Stephenson (DFOSpecies at Risk Program). The content was improved by reviews and input from S.H. Ferguson (DFO Science), P.A. Hall (DFO Resource Management), L.A Harwood (DFO Science) and E.V. Lea (DFO Fisheries Management). Fisheries and Oceans Canada would also like to express its appreciations to all individuals and organizations who have contributed to the management of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale.
Executive summary
The Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) was listed as special concern under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2007. The SARA “Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Canada” was published on the Species at Risk Public Registry in 2014.
The Bowhead Whale management plan (DFO 2014) identified key threats which are primarily due to increased human activities in high latitudes. These threats include noise, ship collisions and pollution (oil spills for example). Climate change is also considered a threat to the species, however the extent and nature of its impact is currently unknown.
The goals of the management plan are:
- to maintain a healthy population of Bowhead Whale in the Canadian Beaufort Sea by protecting Bowhead Whale and Bowhead Whale habitat
- to provide information and strategies to assist Governments, the Inuvialuit Environmental Impact Screening and Review Process and the Inuvialuit Lands Administration in their evaluation of development proposals which may affect Bowhead Whale, Bowhead Whale habitat or Bowhead Whale harvesting
The following short-term objectives have been established to assist in achieving the goals of the management plan:
- to identify and protect important habitats of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale from disruptive uses
- to evaluate threats to the species and its habitat and mitigate them if possible
- to understand trends in population and habitat
- to increase public awareness of the presence, threats and conservation of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale and its habitat, and its status as a Canadian species at risk
This report documents the progress made in implementing the management plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale between 2014 and 2019. It summarizes progress that Fisheries and Oceans Canada and others have made toward achieving the objectives set out in the management plan, which, amongst others, include:
- maintaining a long-term database and publishing stranding rates for Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale
- continuing satellite telemetry studies to determine Bowhead Whale movements, important foraging areas, areas of high abundance, and areas of potential overlap with stressors
- continuing to develop new strategies to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic noise
- supporting programs led by others to help educate the public and manage Bowhead Whale
Collectively, these ongoing or completed conservation actions, as well as reductions in human activity (primarily oil and gas development) in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, are all contributing to substantial progress towards achieving the management objectives for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale.
1. Introduction
This report details the progress made towards meeting the conservation actions listed in the “Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus),from 2014 to 2019”. This report should be considered as part of a series of documents for the species that are linked and should be taken into consideration together, including the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) status report (COSEWIC 2005) and the Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale in Canada (Fisheries and Oceans Canada [DFO] 2014 [PDF 625 KB]).
Section 2 of this progress report reproduces and summarizes key information on the anthropogenic threats that this species is facing, management objectives for conserving this species, and conservation actions to achieve the management objectives (for more details, refer to the management plan). Section 3 reports on the progress of conservation actions identified in the management plan to support achieving the management objectives. Section 4 summarizes the progress of actions taken and outcomes of these conservation efforts.
2. Background
2.1 COSEWIC assessment summary
The Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale was listed as special concern under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2007 based on information in the 2005 COSEWIC status report (COSEWIC 2005). The management plan for the Bowhead Whale was published in 2014. COSEWIC re-examined and confirmed the status of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale as special concern in April 2009 (COSEWIC 2009).
Assessment summary: May 2009
Common name: Bowhead Whale (Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population)
Scientific name: Balaena mysticetus
Status: Special concern
Reason for designation: The population was severely depleted by commercial whaling from 1848 until about 1915, a period of about 65 to 70 years. Since 1915, it has been subject to regular hunting for subsistence by Indigenous people in Alaska (United States) and Chukotka (Russia) and occasional hunting by the Inuvialuit of the western Canadian Arctic. In the absence of commercial whaling, this population has been recovering and was estimated at 10,400 in 2001. Nevertheless, it is not yet clearly secure because of its life history (for example, long generation time, very low natural growth rate) and the possible impacts of habitat changes. There is uncertainty about how the Bowhead Whale will respond to the rapid changes in their habitat due to climate change and increasing human activities such as shipping and oil exploration in high latitudes. Such habitat changes have already begun to occur and will intensify over the next 100 years. In view of the species’ life history, it is important that hunting continue to be monitored and managed to ensure against over-harvest.
Occurrence: Arctic Ocean
Status history: The "Eastern and Western Arctic populations" were given a single designation of endangered in April 1980. The species was split into two populations (Eastern Arctic and Western Arctic) to allow separate designations in April 1986. The Western Arctic population was designated endangered in April 1986. The population was renamed to "Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population" and designated special concern in May 2005. Its status was re-examined and confirmed in April 2009.
This report details the progress made towards meeting the conservation actions listed in the “Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus),from 2014 to 2019”. This report should be considered as part of a series of documents for the species that are linked and should be taken into consideration together, including the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) status report (COSEWIC 2005) and the Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale in Canada (Fisheries and Oceans Canada [DFO] 2014 [PDF 625 KB]).
Section 2 of this progress report reproduces and summarizes key information on the anthropogenic threats that this species is facing, management objectives for conserving this species, and conservation actions to achieve the management objectives (for more details, refer to the management plan). Section 3 reports on the progress of conservation actions identified in the management plan to support achieving the management objectives. Section 4 summarizes the progress of actions taken and outcomes of these conservation efforts.
2.2. Distribution
Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Bowhead Whale winter (November to April) in the western and central Bering Sea amongst broken pack ice. In spring (April through June) most whales migrate along the northern coast of Alaska to the eastern Beaufort Sea, initially appearing in western Amundsen Gulf in offshore lead areas in late May. In recent years feeding aggregations of Bowhead Whale in the south-eastern Beaufort have formed approximately two weeks earlier than in the 1980s.
Summer (June to September) distribution is centred in the southeastern Beaufort Sea, along the southern and western coasts of Banks Island, in Amundsen Gulf, along the waters offshore of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula (generally in waters approximately 20 to 50 m in depth), the Yukon coastal waters, the shelf break and the Mackenzie and Kugmallit Canyon areas. Satellite tracking indicates that they also occur north and east of Banks Island into M’Clure Strait and Viscount Melville Sound (figure 1). Sightings in the eastern Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort Sea in June, along the Chukotka Peninsula (Russia) through the summer and in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea in August demonstrate that not all of this population summers in the Beaufort Sea. In the fall (September and October), Bowhead Whale migrate west into the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, the Chukchi Sea, and then back into the Bering Sea.
Long description
The figure consists of a map indicating the range of where the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of the Bowhead Whale exists among a portion of eastern Russia, all of Alaska and part of western Arctic Canada where the Bering, Beaufort and Chukchi seas are identified. The main distribution area of the Bowhead Whale stretches from the Bering Sea to the Beaufort Sea. Based on data collected from Bowhead Whale satellite tagging efforts between 2006 and 2017, this map shows the general annual distribution of the species throughout the spring, fall, summer and winter seasons. From an overwintering area in the Bering Sea west of Alaska and east of Russia, the spring migration route of the Bowhead Whale spans from the Beaufort Sea (bordering Alaska and Canada) as far as Amundsen Gulf southwest of Victoria Island, and the Chukchi Sea (north of Russia). Fall inhabited areas are identified primarily along the coastal areas of Canada and northern Alaska, while in Russian waters, much of the Chukchi Sea is identified. The summer distribution of the Bowhead is identified as primarily north of the fall distribution in the Chukchi Sea and the offshore area in the Beaufort Sea, extending north of Banks Island and into Melville Sound in the Arctic Archipelago.
2.3 Threats to the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale
The historic depletion of Bowhead Whale populations by commercial whaling was the main reason that the species was listed as endangered in the 1980s in much of its range. Indigenous hunting for subsistence purposes in eastern Russia, the United States (Alaska) and Canada appears to have been within sustainable limits and allowed for continued population recovery. There has not been a Bowhead Whale hunted in western Canadian waters since 1996.
COSEWIC (2005) noted the potential that increased human activities in high latitudes (for example, shipping, offshore oil and gas development, commercial fishing) would have negative effects on Bowhead Whale populations. Climate change, which influences ice conditions and the quantity and quality of the Bowhead Whale’s planktonic prey, may have major effects on Bowhead Whale although the directional changes and long-term outcomes remain difficult to predict (George et al. 2015; Moore et al. 2016). In the 15 years since the release of the original 2005 COSEWIC report, the Canadian Beaufort Sea and the anthropogenic activities being carried out have changed to some degree. Tourism, using cruise ships, had increased somewhat during 2016 to 2019; however, the presence of tourism was relatively short lived and may continue to be reduced further over the next few years. Likewise, oil and gas activities have declined dramatically since 2012, primarily due to falling oil prices and a general withdrawal of exploration activities in the Arctic (Gulas et al. 2017). Consequently, concerns about threats arising from seismic exploration projects (for example, noise, ship strikes, pollution) have been and remain greatly lowered, at least in Canadian waters. The overall result is less noise and fewer opportunities for pollution and ship strikes.
| Threat | Extenta | Occurrenceb | Frequencyc | Causal certaintyd | Severitye | Overall level of concernf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | Widespread | Current and anticipated | Seasonal | Medium | Medium | Medium to high |
| Ship collisionsg | Widespread | Anticipated | Seasonal | Low | Low | Low |
| Toxins (pollution) | Widespread | Anticipated | Unknown | Low | Unknown | Low |
| Entanglement | Widespread | Unknown | Seasonal | Low | Low | Low |
| Climate changeg | Widespread | Current and anticipated | Continuous | Medium | Unknown | Low to medium |
| Predationh | Widespread | Unknown | Unknown | Low | Low | Low |
| Ice entrapmenth | Localized | Unknown | Seasonal | Low | Low | Low |
a. There was some suggestion that since 2014, the overall threat of ship collisions had increased before declining and that the severity and level of concern over climate change, at least in the short-term, could now be low as increased oceanographic productivity may be beneficial to the population.
b. Normally considered to be natural limiting factors, predation and ice entrapment were included as threats in the management plan
c. Extent: proportion of the species affected by the threat (widespread or localized).
d. Occurrence: describes whether a threat is historical, current, anticipated and/or unknown.
e. Frequency: temporal extent of the threat (one-time, seasonal, recurrent, continuous or unknown).
f. Severity: magnitude of impact caused by the threat and level to which it affects species conservation (high, medium or low).
g. Causal certainty: strength of evidence linking the threat to the conservation of the species (high, medium or low).
h. Overall level of concern: signifies that managing the threat is of (high, medium or low) concern for the conservation of the species, consistent with the management objective. This criterion considers the assessment of all the information in the table.
2.4 Management
This section summarizes the management goals and objectives identified in the management plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale.
2.4.1. Goals
The goals of the management plan are:
- to maintain a healthy population of Bowhead Whale in the Canadian Beaufort
Sea by protecting Bowhead Whale and Bowhead Whale habitat
- to provide information and strategies to assist Governments, the Inuvialuit
Environmental Impact Screening and Review Process and the Inuvialuit
Lands Administration in their evaluation of development proposals which may
affect Bowhead Whale, Bowhead Whale habitat or Bowhead Whale harvesting
2.4.2. Objectives
The following short-term objectives were originally identified to assist in achieving the management goals:
- to identify and protect important habitats of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whales from disruptive uses
- to evaluate threats to the species and its habitat and mitigate them if possible
- to understand trends in population and habitat
- to increase public awareness of the presence, threats and conservation of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale and its habitat, and its status as a Canadian species at risk
3. Progress towards conservation
Section 72 of SARA requires the competent Minister to report on the implementation of the management plan and the progress towards meeting its objectives, within five years after it is included in the Public Registry and in every subsequent five-year period until its objectives have been achieved or the species’ becomes threatened or endangered under SARA. In the interest of capturing the most recent progress on the conservation of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale, this document includes actions completed by the end of March 2019. The management plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale divides efforts into the following four broad strategies required to protect, maintain and improve the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Bowhead Whale population and their habitat:
- habitat protection
- research including threat evaluation and mitigation
- monitoring and assessment
- outreach and communication
Tables 2 to 5 provide information on the implementation of conservation actions undertaken since 2014 to achieve the objectives identified in the management plan (DFO 2014) implementation table.
3.1. Activities supporting management objectives
Table 2 provides information on the implementation of activities undertaken to address the conservation actions identified in the management plan. Each activity has been assigned one of four statuses:
- completed: the planned activity has been carried out and concluded
- in progress: the planned activity is underway and has not concluded
- not started: the activity has been planned but has yet to start
- cancelled: the planned activity will not be started or completed
| Action | Status | Timeline | Descriptions and results | Management objective | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensuring proponents are aware of important habitats | In progress | Ongoing | Although oil and gas activities have greatly decreased in occurrence since writing of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada report in 2005, tourist ship activity had increased and shipping activity continues. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) continues to advise and issue conditions for those operating various projects in the Beaufort Sea (for example, DFO 2020) to protect Bowhead Whale. This includes advising proponents or tourist operators about the location and sensitivity of known seasonal Bowhead Whale habitats to protect them from noise, ship collisions, or possible entanglements. The Canadian Coast Guard Notice to Mariners publication informs mariners of important navigational safety matters affecting Canadian waters and informs mariners about areas to be voluntarily avoided or where speeds should be reduced to prevent strikes and reduce noise to prevent harm to cetaceans. | i, iv | DFO, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Canadian Coast Guard, Environmental Impact Review Board |
| Additional means to protect habitat | Complete | 2016 | Since completion of the management plan, a second marine protected area has been established in the western Arctic. The Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area (MPA) north of Paulatuk, Northwest Territories was created in 2016. The area includes some key foraging habitat for Bowhead Whale due to known upwellings and other oceanographic features in the area. Regulations for the MPA prohibit activities that disturb, damage, destroy, or remove from the area, living marine organisms or any part of their habitat, unless listed as exceptions in the Regulations or approved by the Minister. | i | DFO |
| Action | Status | Timeline | Descriptions and results | Management objective | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Determine effectiveness of current mitigation strategies | In progress | Ongoing | In 2019 DFO funded a multi-year project to continue deploying acoustic receivers in the Beaufort Sea. These receivers will help: monitor for anthropogenic acoustic disturbance; identify Bowhead Whale presence to help determine important areas and the timing of migrations; and model what a Bowhead Whale might hear from a passing ship to develop some idea of zones of influence. This research project will compare the movements of satellite tagged Bowhead Whale with ship tracks to explore Bowhead Whale responses to underwater noise and determine if whales are actively avoiding ships. The project will eventually model strategies to reduce underwater noise in key Bowhead Whale areas. Results from these studies are likely to be published as reports and scientific papers beginning in 2021 and later. | ii, iii | DFO, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada |
| Use the national Marine Mammal Response Program (MMRP) funding to investigate Bowhead Whale carcasses | In progress | Ongoing | MMRP funding is available to investigate beach cast or stranded carcasses reported in the western Arctic, to maintain the database and help ensure this information is published (for example, Harwood et al. 2017). The program works with co-management partners and harvesters to track and respond to entanglements, strandings (dead and live), and ship strikes, and quantifies threats affecting marine mammal species, with a focus on species at risk. Due to the remoteness of the area, some portions of the program cannot be carried out due to a lack of resources. Spotted carcasses are typically too difficult to investigate until they ground, such as spottings in open water, leaving several observed without their cause of death identified. | ii, iv | DFO, Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC) |
| Action | Status | Timeline | Descriptions and results | Management objective | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population estimates and tagging in the southeast Beaufort Sea | In progress | Ongoing | DFO has funded portions of the field work to attach satellite tags on Bowhead Whale in Canadian waters with the aim of tracking the movement of Bowhead Whale in the Beaufort Sea and identifying possible important foraging areas as well as documenting the timing of seasonal migrations (2014 to 2017). Alaska continued the ice-based abundance census in April 2019 as Bowhead Whale migrated into the Beaufort Sea, although the census was incomplete due to ice conditions. The last abundance estimate was made in 2011 with full visual, acoustic and aerial coverage of the Bowhead Whale migration. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, and partners completed an aerial survey of the range of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Bowhead population in the Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf during August of 2019. An updated population estimate, which included most of the summer range of the population, will be forthcoming from the 2019 survey. An abundance estimate of Beaufort Sea Bowhead Whale is required by the International Whaling Commission at least every 10 years. |
iii | DFO, Universities, FJMC, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Document presence of Killer Whale in Beaufort Sea | In progress | Ongoing | The predation threat from Killer Whale continues to be monitored by online reporting of sightings in the western Canadian Arctic, although few have been reported in recent years. Killer Whale sighting data can be sent via email to OCA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or reported online at NatureNorth. | ii | DFO, Universities |
| Action | Status | Timeline | Descriptions and results | Management objective | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | In progress | Ongoing | DFO continues to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories when they update their Species at Risk in the Northwest Territories booklet which includes a section on the Bowhead Whale and its distribution. This booklet was last updated in 2018. | iv | DFO, Government of Northwest Territories |
| Community involvement and outreach | In progress | Ongoing | DFO continues to engage and communicate with co-management partners (Inuvialuit Game Council, Fisheries Joint Management Committee [FJMC] and Hunters and Trappers Committees) along with partners in Alaska on files related to the management, monitoring, research and conservation of Bowhead Whale. Local knowledge has been used to help identify the best locations to tag Bowhead Whale. | iv | DFO, FJMC |
4 Concluding statement
Overall, research and management actions conducted between 2014 and 2019 and prior to the finalizing of the management plan have helped to provide a clearer understanding of the range and extent of the use of various areas by the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale in Canada and the current severity of previously identified threats.
The results of satellite tagging have provided additional information on the species’ distribution in known and new areas, including some areas which may be preferred foraging habitats (Harwood et al. 2017). Given the concerns of possible entanglements of Bowhead Whale in fishing gear, commercial fishing remains prohibited in the Canadian portion of the Beaufort Sea. The continual decrease of persistent organic pollutants in Bowhead Whale tissues sampled in Alaskan waters (Bolton et al. 2020) suggests that even the low threat of some pollutants seems to be abating. In addition, the departure of the oil and gas industry from the Canadian Beaufort Sea since approximately 2012 was primarily due to falling oil prices and a general withdrawal of exploration activities in the Arctic (Gulas et al. 2017). This means that concerns about threats arising from seismic exploration projects (for example, noise, ship strikes, pollution) have been and remain greatly lowered, at least in Canadian waters.
Increasing cruise ship activity during 2016 to 2019 was a concern, but the presence of the industry was relatively short lived and may continue to be reduced further over the next few years. The annual Notice to Mariners was established in 2019 and provides guidance to vessels to restrict their speed in whale foraging areas to minimize disturbance, displacement, and the risk of ship strikes. It has, however, been noted that not all ships adhere to the recommended speeds in all areas and therefore, further action and education is needed.
More recent information, such as the understanding of the short-term positive impacts of climate change and the 2011 ice-based abundance estimate, supports the overall notion that the condition of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale is not as poor as suggested by the information available at the time of either the 2005 or 2009 COSEWIC assessments. Overall indications are that the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale continues to increase.
Although some positive trends are seen for this Bowhead Whale population, it is important to continue to manage, monitor, and mitigate risk wherever possible. The feasibility of the management goals and objectives may be reassessed in the future using updated distribution and abundance information, results from current and future studies, as well as an assessment of threat information gathered since the publication of the management plan. The work started and completed to date has built a strong foundation for continued research and management of Bowhead Whale over the next reporting period.
5. References
- Bolton, J.L., Ylitalo, G.M., Chittaroa, P., George, J.C., Suydam, R., Person, B.T., Gates, J.B., Baugh, K.A., Sformo, T., and R. Stimmelmayr. 2020. Multi-year assessment (2006–2015) of persistent organic pollutant concentrations in blubber and muscle from Western Arctic Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus), North Slope, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin 151.
- COSEWIC. 2005. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. viii + 51 pp.
- COSEWIC. 2009. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus, Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population and Eastern Canada-West Greenland population, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 49 pp.
- DFO. 2014. Management Plan for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Canada [PDF 625 KB]. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. vi + 27 pp.
- DFO. 2020. Review of the Statement of Canadian Practice with respect to the Mitigation of Seismic Sound in the Marine Environment. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2020/005.
- George, J.C., Druckenmiller, M.L., Laidre, K.L., Suydam, R., and B. Person. 2015. Bowhead whale body condition and links to summer sea ice and upwelling in the Beaufort Sea [PDF 1.93 MB]. Prog Ocean 136: 250-262.
- Gulas, S., Downton, M., D'Souza, K., Hayden, K., and T.R. Walker. 2017. Declining Arctic Ocean oil and gas developments: opportunities to improve governance and environmental pollution control. Marine Policy, 75, 53-61
- Harwood, L. A., Lea, E.V., Raverty, S. A., Hall, P.A., Linn, E., Postma, L., and O. Nielsen. 2017. Observations of beachcast Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the southeastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf, 1987–2016. Canadian Field-Naturalist 131(3): 270–279.
- Harwood, L.A., Quakenbush, L.T., Small, R.J., Craig George, J., Pokiak, J., Pokiak, C., Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Lea, E.V., and H. Brower. 2017. Movements and inferred foraging by Bowhead Whales in the Canadian Beaufort Sea during August and September, 2006–12. Arctic (70): 161-176
- Moore, S.E..2016. Is it `boom times' for baleen whales in the Pacific Arctic region? Biology Letters.12.
- Quakenbush, L., Citta J., George, J.C., Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Brower, H., Harwood, L. , Adams, B., Pokiak, C., Pokiak, J., and, E. Lea. 2018. Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Stock of Bowhead Whales: 2006-2017 Satellite telemetry results with some observations on stock sub-structure. Paper SC/67B/AWMP/04 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 2018.
Page details
- Date modified: