Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are found only in the Northern Hemisphere, in Arctic waters. Once plentiful in polar waters, numbering nearly 30,000, they are now estimated at 7,000 to 9,000. The bowhead whale — a close relative of the northern right whale and also known as Greenland right whale — is an Arctic baleen whale that lives around the pack ice, often in shallow waters.

Protected from the icy waters by a two-foot blubber layer, bowhead whales migrate seasonally between summer feeding areas and wintering areas. Headed for summer feeding areas in Canadian waters, they travel north through open ice leads in the spring, reaching Point Barrow by early June. In August they move west toward Wrangel Island, and in late fall return south through Bering Strait. Bowhead whales usually travel alone or in small groups of three to six in the spring and in pods of about 50 whales in the fall. Beluga whales frequently follow northbound Bowheads through the ice leads. Besides man, the only known predator is the killer whale, although they may become trapped and frozen in heavy ice.

Appearance

The bowhead name comes from its high, arched lower jaw that resembles the shape of an archer's bow. The powerful head, which can break through a foot of sea ice, is one-third of the whale’s total body length. The arched mouth reaches up to 10 ft. wide and 20 ft. deep, contains a series of food-filtering baleen plates.

The large round whales, which have no dorsal fin, are blue-black with spots of white on the jaw. Two breathing blowholes on the top of the head send out V-shaped blows 20 feet into the air. The deeply notched fluke of a mature bowhead whale can measure 25 feet from tip to tip and the paddle-shaped flippers are nearly six feet long.
Adult males reach a maximum of 60 feet and may weigh more than 60 tons and adult females are slightly larger than males. Although they can stay under water for an hour, Bowhead dives usually last from 4-15 minutes to a depth of up to 500 feet.

Feeding

Bowhead baleen reaches a maximum length of 13 feet, the longest baleen of all the mysticete whales. With its 325-360 fringed overlapping baleen plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw, a bowhead whale skims through the water with its mouth open, scooping water and food. Then the water is forced back out of the mouth through the baleen strainer.Consuming about two tons of food each day, Bowheads feed primarily during summer on plankton (krill) less than an inch long. During summer feeding the whales build up blubber reserves to maintain them during winter.

Breeding
Mating occurs during spring migration between April and early June. Calving intervals are on average every three years and gestation is 10 months. Most calves are able to swim at birth. and calves nurses for six months to one year. Closely bonded to the mother, the calf swims in her slipstream. Calves are born with a thick layer of blubber to help them survive in freezing water.

Vocalizations
The whales have excellent hearing and eyesight and are highly vocal, especially during migrations. Their large repertoire of calls and songs cover seven octaves. The whales are thought to use the vocalizations to locate food and communicate with other bowheads to keep the small herds together.

Lifespan

Harsh conditions and the absence of teeth make studying bowhead whales difficult. Recovered stone harpoon tips, however, indicate that bowhead whales live well past 70 years old and eye tissue studies indicate life spans up to 100 years.

Bowhead as an Endangered Species
Decades of commercial whaling in the Bering and Beaufort Seas during the 1800s severely reduced the numbers of bowhead whales. At the start of commercial whaling the population was close to 30,000. Fortunately market changes brought an end to whaling. around 1910 and bowheads came under the protection of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, then in the 1970s under the U.S. Marine Mammal and Endangered Species Act, Native-only subsistence harvests were allowed.

Based on numbers showing the bowhead population at only 600-2000, in 1977 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moved to end the harvest. Traditional knowledge, however, indicated differently and the Eskimos objected. They believed there were more whales.

A temporary reduced harvest was negotiated and the US government agreed to expand its bowhead research program. The Northern Eskimos formed the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission to speak for their concerns, assist in research and allocate the quota among villages.

Initially, bowhead management conflicts between North Slope Natives, the federal government and the International Whaling Commission were intense, leading to a federal grand jury investigation in 1980. North Slope Natives were told that they needed to cease whaling — a definite lifestyle intrusion. To add further pressure to the resource, a major Beaufort Sea oil and gas lease sale was planned in the bowhead’s habitat.

The North Slope Native group signed a co-management agreement with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to resolve their differences. In 1981 the group also signed an agreement with the North Slope Borough and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling