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NAMMCO is an international regional body for cooperation on the conservation, management and study of marine mammals in the North Atlantic.

The parties of NAMMCO — Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway — are committed to sustainable and responsible utilisation of all living marine resources, including marine mammals. Through the regional cooperation under NAMMCO, they aim to strengthen and further develop effective conservation and management measures for marine mammals. Taking into account the rights and needs of coastal communities to make a sustainable living from what the sea can provide, such measures should be based on the best available scientific evidence and take into account the complexity and vulnerability of the marine ecosystem. The NAMMCO Agreement (signed on April 9, 1992) focuses on consolidating and advancing scientific knowledge of the North Atlantic marine ecosystem as a whole, and to understanding better the role of marine mammals in this system. NAMMCO is an Intergovernmental organisation with advisory mandate.

09/10/2026

Did you know that whales can lose their skin? 🐋

Unlike seals and walrus, which undergo a distinct annual moult, whales, dolphins and porpoises are generally thought to continuously shed and replace their outer layer of skin. However, some Arctic whales may experience more pronounced seasonal skin shedding, particularly when they move into warmer coastal waters.

So, how and why do they shed their skin? 🤔
Whales naturally lose dead skin cells, but behaviours such as rubbing their bodies against rocks or the seafloor may help remove older layers of skin. Seasonal shedding may also help remove accumulated bacteria, microalgae such as diatoms, and external parasites, while supporting the renewal and maintenance of the skin. In some Arctic populations, the warmer waters of shallow bays may therefore provide favourable conditions for more intensive skin renewal.
This has also led to the “feeding-moulting” hypothesis, which proposes that some whale migrations may serve not only to reach productive feeding areas, but also to reach warmer waters where skin renewal can be enhanced. Evidence from bowhead whales and observations of other Arctic whales have contributed to this hypothesis, although the importance of moulting as a driver of migration may vary between species and populations.

Learn more about whale skin loss and migration with the paper of Pitman et al. (2019): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/mms.12661 or of evidence of molting and rock-nosing behaviour with the paper of Fortune et al. (2017): https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0186156&type=printable

And visit NAMMCO’s website to learn more about whales: https://nammco.no/marine-mammals/

Illustration credit: Rasmus Due Nielse

06/10/2026

A study by Heide-Jørgensen and colleagues, titled “Narwhals document atlantification of East Greenland”, was published in the journal Science Advances in August 2026.

Using satellite transmitters attached directly on narwhals, the authors investigate oceanographic conditions along the East Greenland coast, an area which is challenging to study due to its remoteness and environmental conditions. By attaching transmitters on narwhals, a species that can regularly perform deep dives, the authors collected temperature and salinity information at precise locations and depths in previously inaccessible areas.

Along the East Greenland coast, cold polar waters and freshwater from glaciers and sea ice meet warmer and saltier Atlantic water. In the last decades, Atlantic water has increasingly penetrated polar waters, a process known as Atlantification. This study aimed to track these changes to better understand the impacts of Arctic warming.

In total, satellite trackers attached to six narwhals collected 2,060 temperature and salinity profiles, values at each depth as the animal dives, across East Greenland between August 2017 and July 2020. These measurements showed that warmer Atlantic water is penetrating deep into East Greenland’s coastal waters. In the Blosseville Basin, warmer masses dominate the water column below 250 m, and reach deep basins in front of glaciers up to 300 km inland. Glaciers exposed to these warmer waters also show higher summer iceberg discharge, suggesting that warmer Atlantic water is melting the glacier front from below, promoting submarine melt.

The process of Atlantification could also drive broader ecological shifts, including an increase in species moving from the northern part of the Atlantic into Arctic marine ecosystems, with cascading effects on nutrient cycles, primary production, and food webs.

Read the full paper by Heide-Jørgensen et al. (2026) here: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr1424

Photo credit: Glenn Williams

02/10/2026

Did you know that Blainville’s beaked whale has a bone denser than elephant ivory? 🦴
Over 50 million years of evolution have shaped beaked whales into highly specialised marine mammals, with remarkable skull adaptations that help them thrive in their aquatic environment. One of the most distinctive adaptations is the telescoped skull, formed by the elongation and rearrangement of the facial bones.

In beaked whales, part of this structure (the mesorostral cartilage) becomes an exceptionally dense bone. In Blainville’s beaked whale, this process reaches an extreme: its beak contains the densest bone ever recorded in the animal kingdom! And its scientific name gives us a clue: Mesoplodon densirostris, which actually means “dense beak”.

But why would a beaked whale evolve such an unusual bone? 🤔
Scientists have proposed several possible functions for this remarkable structure. Its exceptional density may act as biological ballast, helping the whale control its buoyancy. Its reinforced structure may also help it withstand powerful compressive forces, potentially during deep dives or interactions between males.
And surprisingly, this unusual anatomy may also be linked to one of the beaked whales most important senses: hearing. In beaked whales, the lower jaw plays a key role in receiving sound. At the back of the jawbone, a thin, hollow region contains specialised “acoustic fat” that helps collect and transmit sound vibrations through the jaw towards the inner ear. This remarkable adaptation allows beaked whales to efficiently detect and process sounds underwater.

Although its exact function and evolutionary origin remain poorly understood, researchers continue to work towards uncovering the secrets behind this remarkable adaptation.

Learn more about whale bones with the paper of Wysokowski et al, 2020:https://pubs.acs.org/abseba/article-pdf/6/10/5357/66916027/acsbiomaterials.0c00364.pdf

And visit NAMMCO’s website to learn more about beaked whales: https://nammco.no/beaked-whales/

Illustration credit: NOAA

30/09/2026

A study by Nowak and colleagues, titled “Endangered bowhead whales might buffer climate change with individual variability in movement patterns”, was published in the journal Scientific Reports in January 2026.

The bowhead whale is a species endemic to the Arctic (they don't inhabit any other region in the world). There are four populations, two of which, the Sea of Okhotsk and the East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents Sea (EGSB) populations, are currently endangered. The EGSB population is estimated to number only a few hundred, and there is still very little knowledge about their ecology. With climate change forcing rapid changes to Arctic ecosystems, it’s crucial to understand how vulnerable they are to this threat.

Nowak and colleagues assessed the distribution of the EGSB population and analysed how multiple environmental variables influence their distribution. The authors tagged 38 bowhead whales with data transmitters to monitor their movements. Then, they used statistical programmes to assess the influence of environmental conditions on movement patterns of the tagged individuals.

The results show that low sea surface temperature and sea ice cover strongly influence habitat choice and foraging behaviour for the EGSB bowhead whales, meaning they are vulnerable to global warming and may see habitat reductions. However, the tagged whales showed considerable differences in their movement and foraging strategies. The individual variability shown by these whales may be aimed at partitioning food and foraging habitats, whose availability is being increasingly affected by climate change. Such adaptation could help EGSB bowhead whales in buffering the negative effects of climate change.

Nevertheless, the authors point out the importance of further research on the resilience of EGSB bowhead whales to climate change to perform proper management and conservation that can help the population recover.

You can read the full paper by Nowak et al here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36908-1

Photo credit: Olga Shpa

28/09/2026

A study by Freymueller and colleagues, titled “Historic logbooks reveal spatial footprints of commercial whaling”, was published in the journal PNAS in February 2026.

The bowhead whale was one of the most hunted whales between the 18th and 19th centuries, having been almost brought to extinction by the early 20th century. Whalers kept well-detailed logs of their expeditions and bowhead whale catch rates, especially the British and American fleets. However, little is known about how hunting effort was distributed through time and space. Such information is vital for understanding where bowhead whales were impacted the most, and the effects of whaling on bowhead whale population recovery.

Freymueller and colleagues combined data from whaling logbooks with statistical models to reconstruct daily locations for more than 700 bowhead whaling trips, between the years 1769 to 1914. This analysis allowed them to identify time and space trends in the bowhead whaling and understand the reasons behind them.

The results showed that whaling effort was heavily limited by sea ice coverage, with whalers operating mostly in areas of 10% to 30% sea ice coverage. Areas with deeper sea ice coverage where often inaccessible to whaling boats. This meant that some bowhead whale habitats were barely impacted by whaling and served as natural “protected areas” and population refugia.

The authors note that the bowhead populations with most refugia are currently the ones recovering faster (example, the East Canada–West Greenland stock, one of the populations which had greatest proportional extent of refugia). Meanwhile, the Sea of Okhotsk population lacked refugia, was the most heavily exploited population and is still failing to recover. Therefore, bowhead whale recovery is likely still being impacted to this day, by the effects of commercial whaling, which ceased a century ago.

You can read the full paper by Freymueller et al: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523917123

Photo credit: Fernando Ugarte

25/09/2026

Did you know researchers fly drones over whales for a check-up?
Drones, or UAVs (uncrewed aerial vehicles), have quietly transformed how scientists study marine mammals, offering a non-invasive way to monitor, measure body size, sample breath, and observe behaviour with minimal disturbance to the animal.

🧮 Some of the most established uses include drones flying overhead to count individuals, tracking their distribution along the coast, and observing behaviour that would be hard to see from a boat. When visibility drops, thermal cameras mounted on drones can still spot and count animals in the dark or through fog. Some teams have even used drones to deploy research tags directly onto whales, capturing data on their movements and behaviour over time.

📷 Another well-established application is photogrammetry: measuring an individual's length and body condition from aerial photos, a useful health indicator across many species, from dolphins to seals. Tracking body condition at a population level from the air can flag environmental stress before a population decline becomes obvious.

🧪 Some uses of drones in whale research are more unexpected: whale blow itself has become a small goldmine for researchers. Drones can also collect samples and a single sample can reveal hormones, useful for spotting pregnancy or detecting stress, alongside DNA, microbiome data. In fact, this kind of sampling recently led to the first detection of a virus in wild humpback and s***m whales in Arctic waters.

Illustration credit: Allison Henry NOAA

22/09/2026

📢 Last call for the Secretary General opportunity at the NAMMCO Secretariat!

The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission is seeking its next Secretary General, to head its Secretariat!
📍Location: Tromsø, Norway
🗓️Application deadline: 27 September 2026
Read about tasks, qualifications and the application process: https://nammco.no/topics/job-posting-secretary-general/

Apply or share this post with someone who should apply!

21/09/2026

A study by Llobet and colleagues, titled “Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are copycats, imitating sounds heard in their environment”, was published in the journal Polar Research in April 2026.

The bowhead whale is among the marine mammals with the most developed vocalisations, together with species such as the humpback whale and the killer whale. Bowhead whales produce songs mainly from October to April, peaking with the breeding season during the winter. Unlike the humpback whale, it is known to change its song structure continuously, meaning that a song first generated in autumn might not be used by springtime.

Llobet and colleagues analysed bowhead whale acoustics recorded in north-east Svalbard, Norway, when they discovered several cases of bowheads imitating sounds from their environment. For that purpose, the scientists performed spectral correlation analysis, a method that allows finding relationships between different sound types, to detect patterns and compare the similarities of the bowhead whale vocalisations to bearded seal calls.

Scientist observed a very distinctive bearded seal vocalisation known as long trill, a call associated with male bearded seals during mating in spring. However, these long trill calls were detected in early winter with a repeated structure. This repetitive pattern allowed the researchers to attribute the recordings to bowhead whale songs rather than bearded seal vocalisations.
The acoustic recordings also seemed to include sounds of narwhal pulsed calls and noise produced by sea ice. However, the authors couldn't confirm whether bowheads were imitating them.

The reason behind these imitation attempts might be linked to the bowhead whale's mating behaviour. Male bowhead whales sing to attract females during the breeding season, and their songs continuously evolve as the whales age. Higher song complexity might serve as indicators of the individual's fitness. Therefore, bowhead whales might be attempting to improve their chances of attracting a partner by incorporating new vocalisations from their environment. The authors highlight the need for more research on the role of imitation and complex vocal learning for the species, to better understand their ecology.

You can read the full paper by Llobet et al here: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v45.12562

Photo credit: Camilla Ilmoni

18/09/2026

Did you know some whales aren't born the colour you'd expect?
Killer whale calves aren't born black and white either they start out orange. Beluga calves aren't born white they start out brownish-grey. Both species take months, even years, to reach their signature look! 👀

❓ But why do orcas start out orange?
Newborn calves have a thinner layer of blubber than adults, which brings their blood vessels closer to the skin's surface, giving them that warm orange tint. As the calf nurses and builds up its blubber over its first year, the colour fades to the familiar black and white. Researchers have also pointed to leftover pigments from the womb or mild jaundice as possible contributing factors, though thin blubber remains the leading explanation.

❓ Why do belugas start out brown-grey?
Experts believe the dark tone comes from melanin in the newborn's skin, and the gene responsible for producing it gradually switches off with age. Belugas also shed their outer layer of skin every year, which speeds up the fade towards white. There may even be a survival advantage to being born dark: a darker calf can absorb more heat from the sun to stay warm, and blends in better against open summer water than a bright white calf would, offering some protection from predators during the vulnerable newborn stage. As adults, that same white colouring then works in their favour for a different reason: blending in against Arctic ice and snow.

Think you know another marine mammal that changes colour through its life? Drop it in the comments!

Illustration credit: Fernando Ugarte

16/09/2026

A study by Pampoulie and colleagues, titled “What Do We Know About Hybrid Blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and Fin (B. physalus) Whales? A Comprehensive Review Across Ocean Basins”, was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution in May 2026.

Hybrids of blue and fin whales have been reported since the late 1800s, with whalers at that time describing caught animals that shared physical traits of both species. Over the last three decades, hybrids continued to be identified, now thanks to dedicated sightings surveys and genetic analysis from tissues of caught whales.

This study performed a review of the available information on hybrid blue–fin whale individuals, collected across the world and throughout historical records, from the oldest accounts to the latest documented individuals. A total of 46 possible hybrid whales were identified, with 17 being genetically confirmed. Notably, some of these whales were either confirmed or suspected to be second generation hybrids (hybrid whales who have at least one hybrid parent), demonstrating that hybrid blue–fin whales are not sterile, as was once thought to be the case.

Blue whale populations were decimated by industrial whaling in the past, and their numbers remain small. In the North Atlantic, there are estimates of 25 times fewer blue whales than fin whales. The large difference in abundance may be pushing blue whales to accept mating with fin whales. This may lead to a reproductive output loss for blue whales, that is, a reduction of the amount of blue whale calves being produced, in favour of hybrid calves. Such an outcome would be concerning, especially since most blue whale populations are still depleted and threatened with extinction.

Nevertheless, the authors state that the underlying causes for hybridisation remain unclear, and the occurrence of hybrids between these two distinct species is puzzling. They recommend further research, by recording and monitoring suspected hybrid individuals and collecting skin samples for genetic analysis.

Read the full paper by Pampoulie et al here: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73630

Photo credit: Lisa Conge

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