Bowhead whale  (Balaena mysticetus)

Threats

The main threat to this species has been hunting, particularly following the expansion of the whaling industry after the 1600s (6). Other current threats include entanglement in fishing nets and collisions with ships (8). Pollution, climate change and disturbance by tourists are also likely to be having a detrimental effect on this whale (2).

Conservation

In 1986 the worldwide moratorium on whaling came into effect, although small-scale hunting of this whale by the Inuit of Alaska continues under the guidance of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) (9). The population of bowhead whales appears able to absorb this low-level pressure however, and numbers are increasing in some areas (3).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
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