OCCURRENCE AND COASTAL MORTALITY OF CETACEANS ON THE ARCTIC COAST OF CHUKOTKA PENINSULA IN THE WATERS OF CAPE VANKAREM IN 2017–2021

Abstract

Six species of cetaceans have been found to occur in the Chukchi Sea adjacent to the Pacific walrus rookery at Cape Vankarem: the Grey whale, the Bowhead whale, the Humpback whale, the Killer whale, the Beluga whale, and the Fin whale. The Humpback whale is noted to have become abundant in the Chukchi Sea in the summer in recent years. The coastal mortality of cetaceans in a 100-km section in the western part of the distribution range of both Gray and Bowhead whales has been established to average 1.66 and 0.3 whales per year, respectively. Mostly young animals of 1–2 years of age appear to die, the main cause of death of which being predation by killer whales. The most common whales in that area in the summer-autumn period are humpback whales, which at the same time form significant concentrations in the coastal waters during the accumulation of the main food items. Both bowhead and gray whales are much less frequent, also being rather irregular to be found, while despite the relative scarcity of encounters these species account for the lion’s share of all dead cetaceans.