What are the threats to the bowhead whale?
The bowhead whale has been a victim of its long baleens and thick blubber, that have made it the most economically valuable of all cetaceans. Hunted by commercial whalers until the last century for oil, meat, and baleen, bowhead whales are today listed as endangered species in many countries. Some populations are faring better as a result. Native Alaskans and Canadian Inuit are allowed a limited subsistence hunt for bowhead whales from stable populations. Modern threats include habitat loss and toxics, which accumulates in the Arctic and which may negatively affect the health and reproduction of bowhead whales.