Beluga whales are highly social, vocal cetaceans whose Arctic habitat is changing rapidly. Climate change, pollution, and ship noise pose escalating welfare threats.
Beluga whale welfare faces multiple interacting threats in a changing Arctic. Noise pollution from increased shipping as sea ice melts disrupts their complex social communication and echolocation. Chemical pollution bioaccumulates in belugas at levels that cause immune suppression and reproductive failure. Climate-driven changes in prey distribution force longer migration distances and reduce foraging efficiency. Entanglement in fishing gear causes drowning and injury. Captive belugas held in concrete tanks for display or entertainment suffer acutely from acoustic deprivation, space restriction, and loss of natural social bonds. Wild populations benefit most from Arctic protection and shipping noise regulations.