Bowhead Whale - Eastern Canada-West Greenland population - Consultation on listing under the Species at Risk Act

Aug 27, 2026

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Consultation materials address the potential listing of the Eastern Canada–West Greenland population of the Bowhead Whale under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. The population is assessed by COSEWIC as “special concern,” and Fisheries and Oceans Canada requests public input on possible ecological, cultural, and economic impacts of listing or not listing. The text outlines the species’ range and biology, explains SARA purposes and consultation use, summarizes threats and population status, and describes cultural significance and possible management measures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Consultation process

Threats

Special significance of the species

Protection and recovery of species under SARA

Possible management measures

Bowhead Whale Eastern Canada-West Greenland population Consultations on listing under the Species at Risk Act The Eastern Canada/ West Greenland population of Bowhead Whale has been assessed as“special concern” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Before deciding whether this species will be protected under the Species at Risk Act, Fisheries and Oceans Canada would like your opinion, comments and suggestions regarding the possible ecological, cultural and economic impacts of listing or not listing it. Please provide your input by March 15, 2015. Photo credit: J. Higdon, Fisheries and Oceans Canada The Bowhead mysticetus) is Whale (Balaenaa large baleen whale in the Balaenidae family. Other common names include the Greenland Whale, Greenland Right Whale and Polar Whale. In northern Aboriginal languages, it is known as Arviq or Arvik (Inuktitut and Inuvialuktun), Agkhovik (Inupiat), Akhgvopik (Yupik) and Ittiv (Chukchi) . It has a barrel-shaped body with a massive head and a large arched mouth. This thick skull and powerful body allow it to smash up to 20 cm of ice to create breathing holes. Calves are 4 to 4.5 m long at birth and brownish black in colour, while adults are black with white areas near the chin, eyelids, flipper insertions, ano-genital area, tail stock and flukes. The extent of the Eastern Canada – West Greenland population is roughly one million km². Bowhead Whales from this population summer in western Baffin Bay, the Canadian High Arctic, northern Foxe Basin and northwestern Hudson Bay. Wintering occurs in areas with unconsolidated pack ice such as northern Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, central Davis Strait, southern Baffin Bay, and offshore West Greenland. Proposed listing under SARA: Special Concern Bowhead Whales in the eastern Arctic were originally assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2005 as a Threatened species with two populations. In 2009, the Eastern Canada-West Greenland population was re-assessed by COSEWIC as a single population of“Special Concern”. If listed as Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act, a management plan will be developed. The purposes of the Species at Risk Act are to prevent the disappearance of wildlife species, to provide for their recovery and to encourage the management of special concern species The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has the mandate to conduct assessments on the status of wildlife species and categorize them according to their level of risk for extinction (extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, or special concern) . The Government of Canada considers scientific evidence, comments received from Canadians during consultations, and potential socio-economic impacts before making a decision whether or not to include the species on the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA. Recovery planning is undertaken for all listed species, and prohibitions are put in place protecting species assessed as extirpated, endangered or threatened. The consultation process The Government of Canada would like to hear your input on listing the Eastern Canada-West Greenland population of Bowhead Whale as special concern under the Species at Risk Act, and any comments on the potential positive and negative impacts this listing would have on you, your industry, your community and/or the ecosystem. To provide your input, please complete and return the attached survey to [fwisar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca](fwisar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) or go to [SARAregistry.gc.ca](SARAregistry.gc.ca) Your answers will be used to help inform the decision whether or not to list the species. Threats Commercial whaling was once the greatest threat to the Bowhead Whale and the main reason why the species is at risk in parts of its range. While commercial harvesting is illegal, a small subsistence hunt is permitted. Other threats may include industrial

FAQs

Why is the Eastern Canada–West Greenland Bowhead Whale being considered for listing under SARA?

COSEWIC assessed the Eastern Canada–West Greenland population as “special concern,” and Fisheries and Oceans Canada seeks input before deciding whether protection is needed under SARA.

What impacts should respondents consider when providing comments?

Comments should cover potential positive and negative ecological, cultural, and economic impacts on individuals, industry, community, and/or the ecosystem.

What threats and risks are discussed for the Bowhead Whale population?

The document notes historic commercial whaling, current subsistence hunting allowances, and other threats such as underwater noise, net entanglement, ship collisions, pollution, and climate change, along with predation pressure from killer whales.

Aug 27, 2026

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