Melting Arctic ice draws killer whales further north

||| FROM AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE |||

In the pale winter darkness of northern Norway, a huge flock of seagulls circles above an Arctic fjord, signifying the presence of a group of unusual predators in the water below.

With Arctic sea ice shrinking at record levels due to global warming, killer whales are expanding their hunting grounds further north and spending more time in polar waters, US scientists say.

© Olivier MORIN Increasingly frequent and northerly sightings suggest killer whales are learning to adapt to the newly melted waters of the Arctic Ocean.

But the giant mammals, also known as orcas and which are at the top of the food chain, risk creating an “ecological imbalance” in the Arctic by preying on endangered species, warned a University of Washington study this month.

When AFP visited the vast Skjervoy fjord in the Arctic Ocean, 70 to 80 killer whales could be seen gathering in family clans of about 10, including calves under a year old.

Increasingly frequent and northerly sightings suggest that the iconic black and white member of the dolphin family, whose males can grow up to eight metres (26 feet) long and weigh six tonnes, is learning to adapt to the newly melted waters of the Arctic Ocean.

© Olivier MORIN Killer whales’ new hunting grounds are leading to unprecedented conflict with humans.

“Through acoustic surveys, we have detected orcas in the Barents Sea in November between Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, so they are clearly following the edge of the ice,” Marie-Anne Blanchet of the Norwegian Polar Institute told AFP.

© Olivier MORIN With Arctic sea ice shrinking at record levels due to global warming, killer whales are expanding their hunting grounds further north.

The killer whale, which with a global population estimated at 50,000 is found in almost all of the world’s seas, feeds on Arctic prey such as the beluga whale and, most likely, some species of seal, the specialist said.

Conflict with humans

The whales’ changing migration patterns are also linked to the fact that their food of choice, herring, is also moving further north, for reasons that are still unclear. 

“They are predators with a great capacity to adapt, so they are opportunistic,” Blanchet said.

The new hunting grounds are also leading to unprecedented conflict with humans.

In the waters off Greenland’s capital Nuuk, four orcas, considered an unwelcome competitor by local fishermen and hunters, were killed at the end of November, an act permissible under Greenlandic law.

A University of Washington study presented at the beginning of December found that the increased migration of super predators is a consequence of the increasingly long season when the Arctic Ocean is free of ice.

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