Narwhals are iconic Arctic cetaceans whose extraordinary tusks, deep-diving ability, and sensitivity to disturbance make them one of the wildlife species most vulnerable to climate change and industrial encroachment.
Narwhal welfare is critically threatened by the dual pressures of climate change and increasing Arctic industrial activity. Research using heart rate monitors on temporarily captured narwhals revealed a paradoxical physiological response to capture stress: while heart rate dropped dramatically (a dive response), physical activity continued, creating a dangerous mismatch that explains rapid mortality in confined narwhals and high-stress mortality during entanglement events. This unusually severe stress response means that any human intervention — research, rescue, or industrial disturbance — carries significant welfare risk. Ship noise in Arctic waters causes narwhals to panic and dive rapidly to extreme depths, risking decompression-related injury. Sea ice loss removes the habitat structure that narwhals depend on for feeding and predator avoidance. The subsistence harvest by Inuit communities, while legally managed, represents a welfare impact that must be weighed in the context of its cultural and nutritional importance.