| The bowhead whale, distinctive for its huge, comb-like baleen and thick blubber, migrates annually between the Canadian Beaufort Sea and the Bering Sea. This large whale is vitally important to Eskimo subsistence hunters and coastal villages in Alaska located along the migration route. Bowhead whales are considered an endangered species and therefore are protected by United States law. Each year, the MMS performs aerial surveys to watch for and inventory these endangered whales in arctic waters. |  |
| Surveys are flown at about 1,500 feet in aircraft with bubble windows for good visibility. The surveys are flown along randomly chosen lines within established survey areas. The Project coordinates with Eskimo groups to avoid disturbing their hunting activities and coordinates with other aircraft to ensure safe flying over dangerous Arctic waters. |
 Beaufort Sea Coastline Near Barrow |
| Information about marine mammals sighted, such as the number of animals and their behavior, is recorded along with weather and ocean conditions. This information is entered into a computer on the aircraft. The computer is linked to the airplane's navigation equipment to tell where the plane is and how high it's flying whenever whales are spotted. |  Two Bowhead Whales, Beaufort Sea Alaska |
| Information about where the whales are is sent daily from the field camp in Prudhoe Bay to Anchorage. This day-to-day information is shared with the National Marine Fisheries Service for its use in determining how the fall migration is going. The MMS then may restrict drilling and seismic exploration in areas to protect the whales. The Project also sends daily information about sea ice to the Naval Polar Oceanography Center. |
 Offshore Drilling Unit SSDC Under Tow |
| A yearly report on each fall survey has maps where the whales were and presents the scientific data. Each report also compares that information with that of previous years. Draft reports are reviewed by other federal, state, and Eskimo groups before publication. The first report in this series is Aerial Surveys of Endangered Whales in the Beaufort Sea, Fall 1987. Authored by Stephen D. Treacy, this report is published as OCS Study MMS 88-0030. Put together, the reports provide a unique long-term record on bowhead whale migrations. |  |
| The National Marine Fisheries Service has a page on the bowhead whale. Also check out WhaleNet for additional information on whales. This is just one of the many fascinating topics to read about here at the Kids Corner of the MMS Alaska Region page. Click on the "shorts" below for more topics. |
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