Narwhals are Arctic whales famous for their spiral tusks. Climate change, sea ice loss, and entanglement threaten these elusive creatures whose welfare depends on stable frozen seas.
Narwhals are highly stress-sensitive animals whose welfare is profoundly affected by disturbance. When startled by boats or noise, they have been observed swimming rapidly into sea ice, sometimes causing fatal entrapment. Climate change is the dominant welfare threat: shrinking sea ice reduces shelter, alters prey distribution, and exposes narwhals to new stressors including predation by orcas moving into warming Arctic waters. Ship strikes, sonar, and seismic surveys add acoustic stress. Bycatch in fishing nets causes drowning. Welfare-focused conservation requires reducing underwater noise pollution, protecting key feeding and calving areas, and aggressively addressing climate change to stabilize Arctic ecosystems.