Transcript:

Imagine you’re a bowhead whale. You’re bigger than a school bus and spend your time swimming in the Arctic. Perhaps you’re more than a century old.

Davin: “And so that means you remember a time when the only noise in the ocean in your habitat was coming from wind and sea ice and waves and the various clicks and whistles and songs that other wildlife make.”

But Sam Davin of World Wildlife Fund Canada says today, the Arctic is no longer so quiet.

It’s filled with the drone of ship propellers and the blasts of air guns used in oil and gas exploration.

For a whale, the noise is not just a matter of disturbing the peace.

Davin: “It’s harder for you to navigate. It’s harder for you to communicate. It’s harder for you to avoid danger.”

Studies have shown that underwater noises can cause bowhead whales to swim closer to shore, reduce their calls, and alter their dive cycles.

And the Arctic is getting even noisier. As the climate warms, Arctic sea ice is melting, which enables more ship traffic in the region.

So Davin’s organization advocates for governments to monitor and regulate underwater noise to help protect bowheads and other vulnerable animals.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media