Arctic | Mammals
Satellite tracking bowhead whales in the 2020s to detect changes in distribution and behavior documented during 2006 to 2019 Presenter: Lori Quakenbush , lori.quakenbush@alaska.gov, Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Arctic Marine Mammal Program Billy Adams , billy.adams@north-slope.org, North Slope Borough Dept. of Wildlife Management Justin Olnes , justin.olnes@alaska.gov, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Justin Crawford , justin.crawford@alaska.gov, Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Arctic Marine Mammal Program John Citta , john.citta@north-slope.org, North Slope Borough Kayla Scheimreif , kayla.scheimreif@north-slope.org, North Slope Borough Bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus ) are a paramount subsistence species for western and northern coastal Alaska Natives. Bowhead movement patterns are changing as sea ice declines; whales now migrate earlier in the spring and later in the fall than they once did. During years with little Bering Sea ice, whales are more likely to overwinter in the Chukchi Sea. Less sea ice also results in more anthropogenic noise and disturbance as a longer open-water season allows for more ship traffic and other activities. Very few bowheads were observed migrating past Point Barrow during fall 2019 and the whaling season at Utqiaġvik was poor. Aerial surveys failed to detect the migration near Point Barrow and the timing and location of the migratory pathway in 2019 remains unknown. The migratory path likely shifted northwards and too far offshore to be accessible to subsistence whalers; this is a new pattern that subsistence whalers fear may become more common. Location data from satellite telemetry can provide insight into changes in bowhead distribution related to changing ice concentration and physical oceanography. To better understand shifting migration patterns, a team of experienced whalers and biologists deployed 10 satellite transmitters on bowhead whales in August and September 2022. Tagged bowheads ranged in size from 9.1 m (juveniles) to 13.7 m (adults) and all were biopsied so that sex can be determined genetically. Most tagged bowheads remained on the western Beaufort Sea shelf and in Barrow Canyon in September. Two, however, spent time on the Chukchi shelf near Pt. Franklin and one of these moved south to Wainwright, which is unusual. Ten more satellite transmitters are planned for deployment in 2023.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 283
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