Subarctic Baleen Whales - Strait Science, May 31 2023

Subarctic baleen whales in the Bering Strait: Visitors, or returning home? Subarctic baleen whales in the Arctic have increased over the past decade. Is this a sign of new environmental conditions, or a result of their populations recovering from commercial whaling? Though fin, humpback, and gray whales are now regularly observed in the Chukchi Sea, their presence seems to vary annually. Erica Escajeda discusses the whales’ movements, their variability, as well as her findings on how large ships impact the whales’ acoustic habitat. Erica Escaieda is a PhD candidate in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington.

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