Bowhead whale feeding in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, based on stomach contents analyses

Abstract

This study examined feeding of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) taken by Alaska Natives at Barrow (western Beaufort Sea), Nuiqsut (central Alaskan Beaufort Sea) and Kaktovik (eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea) during 1969-2000. The objectives were to: (1) identify the proportion of harvested whales that had been feeding; and (2) describe the diet based on stomach contents. Data used were field records for 242 whales whose stomachs were examined and laboratory analysis of samples from 123 animals. There were no significant differences in the proportions of animals that had been feeding during the autumn at Kaktovik (83%) and Barrow (75%), or in sub-adults (78%) versus adults (73%). Copepods occurred significantly more frequently in animals from Kaktovik, while euphausiids and hyperiid amphipods occurred more frequently at Barrow. During the autumn, the percent copepods by volume was greater in animals taken at Kaktovik than at Barrow, while the percent euphausiids by volume was greater in whales taken at Barrow. At Barrow, a larger proportion of animals was feeding in the autumn (76%) than the spring (34%), and copepods occurred more often in the spring. Examination of five whales taken at Nuiqsut in the autumn suggests a feeding pattern similar to that seen at Kaktovik. There were no significant differences in diets of males versus females or of sub-adults versus adults. It is concluded that in the autumn, bowheads feed regularly in the eastern, central and western Alaskan Beaufort Sea, and that feeding during the spring migration is more common than previously thought.