Online report | Arctic blue corridors

A new report highlights the urgency of taking concrete action to safeguard Arctic whales on their migrations, as they are faced with new and growing pressure from climate change and increased shipping activity.

Arctic blue corridors report summary (8 MB)

Arctic blue corridors brochure (1 MB)

As the Arctic Ocean experiences rapid change from the climate crisis and industrial activities, WWF is calling for urgent action to protect whales while they are using migratory routes, known as blue corridors, that are essential for the survival of many whale species. The new online report sheds light on the critical importance of these corridors for whales and the escalating threats posed by the climate crisis and increased shipping activity in the Arctic.

The Arctic Ocean is a vital life support system for one-quarter of the planet’s whale species, including Arctic whales: the narwhal, beluga, and bowhead whale. These whales undertake vast migrations between summer and winter habitats, navigating thousands of kilometers along these blue corridors.  For the first time, WWF has mapped these routes across the entire Arctic Ocean and overlaid them with shipping lanes to highlight the issue and the need for action.

Action is needed to safeguard whales in blue corridors

Action is needed to safeguard whales in blue corridors for effective conservation. We urge Arctic states, the Arctic Council, International Maritime Organization, shipping industry, and shipping companies to take action to protect migrating whales in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.

For Arctic States:

• Incorporate Arctic blue corridors into planning and implementation of the United Nations Global Biodiversity Framework to protect at least 30 per cent of oceans and sustainably manage the remaining 70 per cent by 2030.
• Ensure policies and management decisions are flexible and adaptive to the changing migration patterns of Arctic whales.

For the Arctic Council:

• Recognize Arctic blue corridors as important elements of ecological connectivity that must be secured through area-based conservation and marine spatial planning at the whole-ocean scale.
• Support Arctic states in implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030, including by establishing an ocean-scale spatial database for monitoring marine biodiversity and informing conservation planning and implementation at all levels.

For the shipping industry and shipping companies:

• Consider blue corridors in ships’ voyage planning.
• Slow ships down to 10 knots or less, where ships must take the same routes as migrating whales.
• Move shipping routes away from blue corridors wherever possible.
• Innovate and invest in underwater noise reduction from ships through maintenance, design and technology.

For the International Maritime Organization:

• Recognize that the Arctic region requires special management of underwater noise from shipping and develop special guidance to achieve this.
• Mandate ships operating in Arctic waters to implement measures that protect marine mammals, as per Chapter 11, section 11.3.6 of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code).

For the research community:

• Lead collaborative and large-scale efforts to fill knowledge gaps and ensure monitoring of whale migrations in the Arctic through science, Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge.
• Make data on Arctic whale migrations publicly available to inform decision-making.

What is new?

The report introduces new large-scale maps showing the migration routes, or blue corridors, of Arctic whales. These maps are the first to cover the entire Arctic Ocean and include detailed information about each whale population. WWF created these maps by combining the latest shipping traffic data with whale migration routes to highlight the pressures whales face from ships. This work builds on previous reports, including the 2022 Global WWF Protecting Blue Corridors, and represents a crucial step toward protecting these important habitats. .

The urgency behind the report is due to the sharp rise in ship traffic in the Arctic over the past decade. This poses significant threats to migrating whales, particularly in areas where industrial activities are expanding. Until now, conservation efforts have largely focused on the whales’ summer and winter habitats, but WWF emphasizes the need to protect the whales during migration as well. This report offers additional compelling evidence for governments to commit to the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30 per cent  of the world’s oceans by 2030.

The maps were created using publicly available information on the migratory patterns of bowhead, narwhal, and beluga whales. WWF plans to expand this mapping project in the future, showing, through blue corridors, how all the world’s oceans are connected. We will also help to fill knowledge gaps about Arctic whale migrations through science and Indigenous Knowledge, and develop monitoring tools to track shifting whale migrations in response to the climate crisis. The report calls on the shipping industry and Arctic authorities to incorporate these findings into their planning to better protect whales and their blue corridors.

Methodology report