Bowhead whales inhabit the waters around the Arctic ice edges that melt and reform seasonally. Blue, sei, fin, Minke, and humpback whales have worldwide distributions. Bryde's whales are found throughout the tropics and subtropics. Some populations of baleen whale species are resident to restricted areas. A population of fin whales is found year-round in the Gulf of California.
Some species give birth and rear young in protected coastal bays and lagoons.
Some species forage along the productive continental shelf area. Other species migrate much shorter distances. For example, Bryde's whales only move from temperate regions to the equator. And sei whales don't migrate as far towards the poles as most species do. Northern and southern hemisphere populations of the same migratory species don't encounter one another due to the opposite seasons.