SC/61/BRG2 Observations of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Svalbard area 1940- 2008

• Main Authors: Øystein Wiig, Lutz Bachmann, Nils Øien, Kit M. Kovacs, Christian Lydersen
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Franz Josef Land; Greenland; Svalbard; Balaena mysticetus; East Greenland; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.503.1790; http://www.iwcoffice.co.uk/_documents/sci_com/SC61docs/sc-61-brg2.pdf

Forty-two reported sightings of bowhead whales have taken place in the Svalbard area between 1940 and 2008. But, only three of these sightings are reported prior to 1980. Most observations involve only 1 or 2 whales, but groups of up to 7 individuals have been seen recently. Increased ship traffic in the north undoubtedly provides more opportunities for spotting this species, and the establishment of a structured cetacean sighting programme, as well as increased in effort in documenting sightings from a wider marine user-community, likely all play a role in more records being documented in recent years. A lack of control/documentation routines for sightings hampers firm conclusions about the trends in abundance of bowhead whales in the Svalbard area. Nevertheless, an apparent increase of bowhead whales in the area between East Greenland and Franz Josef Land is suggested by the sighting data in recent years. Currently, it is not known whether these sightings are animals that are stragglers from other areas or survivors of the authentic Spitsbergen stock.