First recorded ice entrapment of a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) in east Greenland

Beluga whales are rare along the coast of east Greenland and the closest recognized stock occurs around Svalbard. Here we report on an ice entrapment of an adult beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) in north-east Greenland. The whale was observed entrapped in the fast ice on 21 April 2023 in Loch Fy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Kristin L. Laidre, Jasmine Ware, Marie Zahn, Peter Hegelund, Jon Aars
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2024
Subjects:
sea ice
sassat
white whale
freeze-up
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Oceanography
GC1-1581
Beluga
Beluga whale
Beluga*
Delphinapterus leucas
East Greenland
Greenland
Polar Research
Sea ice
Svalbard
Ursus maritimus
White whale
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9844
https://doaj.org/article/f8bb9aa6dc634550bf626e53754f315c
Description
Summary:Beluga whales are rare along the coast of east Greenland and the closest recognized stock occurs around Svalbard. Here we report on an ice entrapment of an adult beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) in north-east Greenland. The whale was observed entrapped in the fast ice on 21 April 2023 in Loch Fyne (73°54’N, 21°51’W) during a visual aerial survey for polar bears (Ursus maritimus). The whale was located >100 km from open water (i.e., pack ice) and appeared in poor body condition. A literature review back to the early 1900s failed to produce any other records of beluga whale ice entrapments in east Greenland.

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