Possible signs of recovery of the nearly extirpated Spitsbergen bowhead whales: calves observed in east Greenland

The Spitsbergen population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) was harvested to near extinction during the whaling era. Here, we show possible signs of recovery of the population by reporting observations of two calves in the Scoresby Sund polynya in East Greenland on 2 and 4 May 2022, and it is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Outi M. Tervo, Marie Louis, Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding, Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, Rikke G. Hansen
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2023
Subjects:
balaena mysticetus
calf
spitsbergen population
endangered
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Oceanography
GC1-1581
Greenland
Sund
Scoresby
Scoresby Sund
Balaena mysticetus
East Greenland
Polar Research
Spitsbergen
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.8809
https://doaj.org/article/d630d6082b84486394bef3f6dca83924
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Summary:The Spitsbergen population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) was harvested to near extinction during the whaling era. Here, we show possible signs of recovery of the population by reporting observations of two calves in the Scoresby Sund polynya in East Greenland on 2 and 4 May 2022, and it is the first observation of this kind in this area since the early 1900s.

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