Narwhals become quieter as the Arctic Ocean grows louder

"WWF has mapped many of these pathways, which it refers to as Arctic "blue corridors," and shared them with the IMO to help guide ship operators. Existing IMO guidelines already call on mariners to take special care around sensitive habitats, including migration routes, but conservation groups say more awareness is needed of where and when whales are likely to be present so companies and captains can plan accordingly."

"Inuit communities in Canada and Greenland, for example, have hunted narwhals for generations to help sustain families through long winters and withstand a high cost of living in the region, according to Alex Ootoowak, an Inuk hunter who recently helped conduct a multi-year study of narwhals' responses to shipping traffic in Eclipse Sound. That is a critically important summer calving ground for a distinct population of narwhal in Nunavut, Canada."

"found narwhals went silent when ships were passing. "These animals are hearing and responding to ships from distances much further than we would have predicted," said Joshua Jones, one of the study's authors. "We learned that narwhals go quiet or move away when a ship is within about 20 kilometers of the site." They also stopped eating."

WWF mapped Arctic "blue corridors" and shared them with the IMO to help guide ship operators. IMO guidelines advise mariners to take special care around sensitive habitats, including migration routes, but conservation groups call for greater awareness of where and when whales are likely to be present so companies and captains can plan accordingly. Underwater noise from vessel traffic harms whales, fish, and crustaceans and threatens Indigenous food security in communities that rely on marine mammals. A multi-year study in Eclipse Sound found narwhals went silent, stopped feeding and halted deep dives when ships passed within about 20 kilometers. Much of the vessel traffic in Eclipse Sound is linked to industrial shipping for the Mary River Mine on Baffin Island.

Read at Ars Technica