Loud Threats to Whales in the Arctic

As the ice disappears from the Arctic, new shipping routes have opened up. This poses a risk to the whales that swim the same routes, warns WWF.

As the Arctic ice melts, new shipping routes are opening up and ships are becoming a threat to the region’s whale species.

Every year, the Arctic is visited by around a quarter of the world’s whale species. Three of them – beluga, narwhale and bowhead whales – live in the region all year round.

‘They haven’t been exposed to much ship traffic because the Arctic has been largely covered by sea ice until recently,’ says Melanie Lancaster, an Arctic expert at WWF.

Noisy ships

WWF has mapped the migratory routes of the three whale species, mainly in spring and autumn, the so-called blue corridors. They are now increasingly joined there by ships, which, as the ice melts earlier and freezes later in the wake of climate change, are seeking new routes in the Arctic.

In addition to the risk of running into the whales and injuring or killing them, the ships make noise, which can disturb the whales, whose primary sense of hearing is underwater.

‘It affects their ability to listen to each other, to navigate, to find food, and to protect themselves from predators,’ says Mr Lancaster.

Triple win

WWF urges shipping companies to avoid the blue corridors in the first place, especially during the times when whales use them most, in spring and autumn.

At certain bottlenecks, including the Kara Strait, Hudson Strait and Bering Strait, where ships and whales have to crowd, ships should reduce speed to 10 knots. Reduced speed is a triple win, according to WWF.

If the ship is slower, it is quieter, and they are also more fuel efficient – a big win for reducing greenhouse emissions. And if they’re slower, the risk of fatal collisions with whales is greatly reduced, says Melanie Lancaster.