The Davis Strait - DCE - Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi

Figure 4.8.8. Map of known
wintering grounds for beluga
whales in West Greenland and
eastern Nunavut. Summering
grounds are in Arctic Canada.
Belugas can be found along the
whole northwest coast of Greenland
during migration between
winter and summer grounds. Map
modified from Heide-Jørgensen &
Laidre (2006).
144
75°N
72°N
69°N
66°N
63°N
96°W
90°W
Beluga whale
Assessment area
Wintering areas
0 175 350 Km
84°W
78°W
60°W
72°W
Narwhal, Monodon monoceros
Narwhals are found only in high arctic regions where they feed primarily on
Greenland halibut but also on other species of arctic fish and squid (Laidre &
Heide-Jørgensen 2005). They undertake seasonal migrations between shallow
summer grounds where little or no foraging takes place and their wintering
grounds where they feed (Dietz & Heide-Jørgensen 1995, Laidre &
Heide-Jørgensen 2005, Dietz et al. 2008). Narwhals are site faithful to summering
and wintering grounds and individuals tagged with satellite transmitters
have migrated between summering grounds in Arctic Canada and
Melville Bay and wintering grounds in Baffin Bay and the northern Davis
Strait. Wintering grounds include both deep waters between Greenland and
Canada and waters close to the coast of West Greenland (Fig. 4.8.9) (Dietz &
Heide-Jørgensen 1995, Dietz et al. 2001, Heide-Jørgensen et al. 2003b, Dietz
et al. 2008). They reside in or close to the pack ice during winter and as the
ice opens up into large channels in spring the narwhals return to their summering
grounds.
66°W
60°W
54°W
54°W
48°W
42°W
48°W
36°W
78°N
75°N
72°N
69°N
66°N
63°N