Arctic ice melt, increased shipping endangers whales: study

Melting ice caused by climate change has given ships more access to Arctic waters, which researchers say could have serious consequences for the survival of bowhead and beluga whales.

Lauren McWhinnie is the lead author on a study that says there isa window of opportunity to address the harmful effects of increasedshipping on the whales' environment before they become morethreatened.

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"In most situations we kind of employ this fire fightingtechnique when it comes to conservation with animals,"saidMcWhinnie, who is a researcher at the University of Victoria.

In most cases animal populations need to be visibly decliningbefore protection against human impacts are carried out, she said inan interview.

"But up there, this is our chance to learn for once, andhopefully be proactive."

McWhinnie's research group looked at different vessel managementschemes that might be adapted for Arctic waters.

The group studiedover 1,000 marine protected areas and identified 14 different toolsacross four categories that would be suitable for the Arctic.

"We have spatial tools, vessel tools, and monitoring andoutreach tools, and what the study suggests is you should look atemploying a suite of tools, one from each one of these tool boxes to be effective" she said.

Whales aren't only species impacted

The study reviewed satellite data on shipping traffic between2012 and 2016 in the eastern Beaufort Sea at the entrance to theNorthwest Passage, one of the major shipping routes through theCanadian Arctic.

The size of the passage allows for larger ships to enter theArctic, a distinct problem for bowhead whales.

"With the longer season that's ice-free there's more time forthose types of those vessels to go through, and we know they're thekind of vessels, particularly for ship strikes, that pose a danger to bowheads" she said.

The study, which will be published in the journal of Ocean andCoastal Management next month, says warming weather conditions inthe Arctic are already changing the amount and thickness of theArctic ice.

"The resulting extended 'open water' season has manyimplications for vessel traffic and marine life," the study says.

"There's a spatial and temporal overlap to the shipping seasonup there and the whales' season," McWhinnie said.

The proposed whale protection measures would only significantlyaffect very large, fast vessels travelling further away from theshoreline, rather than smaller community boats operating closer tothe shore, the study says.

McWhinnie added the noise problem is not species-specific andaffects all creatures in the icy Arctic waters that use echolocationto communicate and hunt for food.

"It's a whole ecosystem that's potentially going to be facingthese changes, because of the sea ice there are other conditions,the warming of the water as well they're already contending with, the vessel traffic is a low-hanging fruit."

When asked about the length of time left to protect the Arcticmarine wildlife, McWhinnie said predictions are difficult because ofthe increased ice floe melt and data provided by different models.

"Unfortunately that's the $36-million question."

The study was co-authored with experts at Wildlife ConservationSociety Canada.