ACCESS NUMBER: TO-35248 

STUDY TITLE: Satellite Tracking of Bowhead Whales: The Planning Phase 

REPORT TITLE: Satellite Tracking of Bowhead Whales: The Planning Phase 

CONTRACT NUMBER: 0102CA85294 TASK ORDER (TO): 35248 

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Alaska 

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREA: Beaufort Sea 

FISCAL YEAR OF PROJECT FUNDING: 2004 

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: June 2005 

COST: FY 2004: $ 22,781; CUMULATIVE PROJECT COST: $ 22,781 

PROJECT MANAGER: Lori Quakenbush 

AFFILIATION: University of Alaska Fairbanks 

ADDRESS: Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS*: Lori Quakenbush and Robert Small 

KEY WORDS: Bowhead whales, satellite telemetry, Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort Seas 

BACKGROUND: 

Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are an important subsistence and cultural resource for coastal 

people of northern Alaska. After their depletion by commercial whaling and until recently, all bowhead 

whales from the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort stock were thought to migrate through the Beaufort Sea twice 

annually: during their eastward, spring migration and their westward, fall migration. Recent summer 

sightings indicate some bowheads may stay in the Bering and Chukchi Seas and not enter the Beaufort 

at all. The importance of the Beaufort Sea for feeding is also in question due to conflicting study results. 

Oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and production are ongoing in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea 

and there is interest in the Chukchi Sea, therefore, an understanding of bowhead migration and feeding 

behavior and an understanding of important feeding and summering areas are necessary for the 

conservation and management of the species. Satellite transmitters placed on bowhead whales at 

locations along their migration route can provide information on migration routes, migration timing, swim 

speed, diving behavior, residence times in portions of their range, and responses to industrial activity. 

Because of the importance of bowhead whales for subsistence, their endangered species status, 

involvement of the International Whaling Commission, and the interest in bowhead summer habitat for oil 

and gas exploration and development, coordination with the whalers, the agencies involved in marine 

mammal management, and oil and gas industry was necessary for a successful project. 

OBJECTIVES: 

Our objectives were to: 1) design a study using satellite telemetry as a tool to answer questions regarding 

bowhead whale migration routes, migration timing, swim speed, diving behavior, residence times in 

portions of their range, and incidental exposure to industry activity, without interfering with subsistence 

whaling activities; 2) Provide a forum for collaboration with whaling captains, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

Commission (AEWC), North Slope Borough (NSB), National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration (NMFS/NOAA), Minerals Management Service (MMS), Alaska 

Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and other interested parties. This forum would provide 

opportunities for input into the study design and for local involvement in the tagging; and 3) prepare an 

Implementation Plan to seek three years of funding for satellite tagging and data collection. 
ACCESS NUMBER: TO-35248 

DESCRIPTION: 

Between June 2004 and February 2005 we gave three presentations at AEWC meetings and conducted 

a workshop to identify objectives for a satellite telemetry study. Whaling captains, the agencies involved 

in bowhead whale management, and representatives of the oil and gas industry, participated in the 

workshop. 

SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: 

The interested parties agree that satellite tagging would provide important information for the 

conservation and management of bowhead whales. The study needs to be accomplished without 

interference with subsistence whaling and with local whaler involvement in deploying the tags. We 

successfully accomplished our objectives and are ready to move into the study phase. The study plan 

will be presented to AEWC for their approval and we will continue to work together and with whalers from 

each village as the project develops. The contract with MMS is being developed, the funding is available, 

and project is moving forward with everyone on board. 

STUDY RESULTS: 

We have received approval for a bowhead satellite tagging study from the Alaskan whaling community as 

long as the study does not interfere with subsistence whaling and if tags do not harm the whales. 

Whalers will be involved in the local logistics of tagging and in deployment of the tags to the extent that 

they are willing and available. Interested parties including AEWC, NSB, NMFS, MMS, and the oil and gas 

industry assisted in the design of the satellite telemetry study by identifying priority objectives and 

discussing ways to deploy tags without interfering with subsistence whaling. The study plan includes 10 

tags to be deployed in Kaktovik and/or Barrow in fall 2005. Over the next four years as many as 25 tags 

per year will be deployed in spring, fall, and winter. Tags will be deployed from several of the whaling 

villages each year depending upon interest by the whalers of that village and the study objectives being 

addressed. MMS will provide funding for the study as a component of a multidisciplinary study entitled “ 

Bowhead Whale Feeding in the Central and Western Alaskan Beaufort Sea”. 

STUDY PRODUCTS: 

Quakenbush, L.T., and R.J. Small. 2005. Satellite tracking of bowhead whales: The planning process, p. 

132–136. In University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute Annual Report No. 11. OCS Study MMS 

2005-xxx, University of Alaska Fairbanks and USDOI, MMS, Alaska OCS Region. 

 

*P.I.’s affiliation may be different than that listed for Project Managers(s).