Narwhals are enigmatic Arctic cetaceans uniquely dependent on sea ice habitat. Climate change is transforming their environment, creating welfare and conservation challenges for this mysterious species.
Narwhal welfare is threatened by the convergence of climate change effects: loss of sea ice refuge from killer whales, increased shipping disturbance, and changing prey distribution. Their extreme physiological response to disturbance — documented in capture studies as dramatic heart rate suppression combined with intense muscular exercise — suggests high stress susceptibility. This "paradoxical" cardiovascular response puts narwhals at risk of cardiac events from fright. Reducing shipping traffic in critical narwhal habitat during sensitive periods and limiting research capture events to essential scientific purposes minimizes these welfare impacts. Supporting indigenous communities whose sustainable hunting practices have coexisted with narwhal populations for centuries is also part of responsible narwhal welfare.