Distribution and behavior of Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort bowhead whales as inferred by telemetry

Abstract Over the last 30 years, the use of telemetry, especially satellite telemetry, has improved our understanding of bowhead whale movements and behavior of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) stock. Here, we summarize the findings of a collaboration between the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, the North Slope Borough, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada that deployed satellite tags (n=77) on bowhead whales during 2006–18. This study refined our knowledge of the distribution of BCB bowhead whales, especially outside the boundaries of aerial surveys and away from whaling communities. We found that whale movements are much more complex and wide-ranging than originally thought; for example, some whales that initially migrate to the Canadian Beaufort may return west in midsummer, sometimes traveling all the way to Russia and back to Canada prior to the autumn migration. Based upon whale behavior (i.e., the timing of movements and dive behavior) and the colocation of whales and oceanographic features that help aggregate prey, bowhead whales of the BCB stock likely feed year-round. We think the distribution of BCB bowhead whales is largely driven by food availability and that whales have spatial memory of where food was located in past years. Much of the data we collected on the distribution of BCB bowhead whales is already out of date, as environmental changes are altering the distribution of bowhead prey and sea ice.