Narwhals, bowheads at risk from Arctic shipping, says study – Nunatsiaq.com

July 06, 2018

“There has not been a circumpolar assessment of vulnerability for these species”

There could be a direct link between increased shipping in the Arctic and the access Nunavummiut have to yummy maqtaq—and this isn’t a good thing.

That’s according to a new study that says narwhals are the northern marine mammal most vulnerable to vessel traffic along marine routes like the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route.

The study looks at 80 subspecies of seven kinds of Arctic marine mammals, to assess risks those species face when ships travel through their habitats during the navigable, or ice-free, season.

Researchers with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Washington conducted the study, which was published July 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Read More: http://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674narwhals_bowheads_at_risk_from_arctic_shipping_says_study/