Narwhals are among the most sensitive Arctic marine mammals to climate change, with sea ice loss disrupting feeding and exposing them to new threats.
Narwhal welfare under climate change involves both direct habitat loss and exposure to new stressors in previously ice-covered habitat. These Arctic specialists panic intensely when disturbed by ships or other human activity, becoming so disoriented they have been documented swimming into sea ice and drowning. As ice retreats and their traditional refugia open to navigation and industrial activity, these panic responses will occur more frequently. The welfare implications of opening the Arctic to commercial activity are severe for one of the most ice-dependent cetacean species.