Estimating the prey consumption of the largest predator of the Arctic in a changing environment

This project will use drones to photograph and measure the size and body condition (fatness) of bowhead whales in West Greenland during the spring feeding season. The aim of the project is to measure how much bowhead whales increase in body condition during the feeding season, and what this translates to in terms of prey (zooplankton) biomass. By knowing this relationship, it will be possible to predict how future changes in prey availability due to climate change will affect the body condition and survival of bowhead whales. With the Arctic changing rapidly as a consequence of climate change, and the bowhead whale being the largest predator of the Arctic, this project will generate valuable information for the management and conservation of both whales and the Arctic ecosystem.