According to a report by the environmental organization WWF, increasing shipping traffic in the Arctic is endangering the whales’ traditional migration routes. In spring and autumn, tens of thousands of whales migrate to their summer and winter homes along the so-called ‘blue corridors’.
For the first time, WWF has now mapped the migratory movements of Arctic marine mammals in a new report and compared them with shipping routes in the region. “Arctic whales and ships often use the same routes, as the new maps clearly show. This will be dangerous for the whales, the underwater noise will affect them and the risk of collision with ships is high,” says Heike Zidowitz from WWF Germany.
37 percent more ships in the Arctic
From 2013 to 2023, the number of ships in Arctic waters increased by 37 percent and the distance traveled doubled. Climate change is increasing pressure on Arctic whales, the report said. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the planet.
WWF called on the shipping industry to consider whale corridors when planning routes. Where routes overlap inextricably, travel speeds should be reduced. “Narwhals, belugas and bowhead whales are ideally adapted to icy waters and are found nowhere else in the world,” said WWF expert Zidowitz. “But whales know no borders and their migration routes span multiple national and international waters, so coordinated efforts are needed to protect them.”
The Whaling Commission meets in Peru
Some 400 delegates from 88 countries are currently discussing the protection of marine mammals at the 69th conference of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Lima, Peru. The debate focuses on resolutions to strengthen the global ban on whaling, the contribution of whaling to food security and a proposal for a protected area for whales in the South Atlantic.
Source: Krone
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