Eastern Canada-West Greenland Bowhead Whale Population Abundance and Limit Reference Point

Abstract

Fisheries and Ocean Canada’s (DFO) Sustainable Fisheries Framework requires the development of Limit Reference Points (LRPs) for key regional fisheries. DFO Science Advice concerning LRP development for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland (ECWG) bowhead whale population is requested. Aerial surveys cannot cover Canada's vast geographic range of ECWG bowhead whales. The most recent management advice for the ECWG stock originates from aerial surveys conducted in 2013 that indicated an abundant population (DFO 2015). The aerial survey produced a partial population abundance estimate of 6,446 whales (CV = 26%) and results suggested that the population can support a total human-induced mortality of 52 whales annually (DFO 2015). More recent literature includes updated abundance estimates developed from genetic mark-recapture data (Frasier et al. 2020, Biddlecombe et al. 2023, 2025), and a proposed precautionary management approach for ECWG bowheads (Ferguson et al. 2021). Canada's subsistence ECWG bowhead whale fishery operates under various agreements and regulations. Presently, the management approach lacks a precautionary framework that guides Reference Points (LRP and Upper Stock Reference point (USR) estimates) (DFO 2009). This information is crucial for DFO Resource Managers and Inuit wildlife co-management organizations in Nunavut and Nunavik. This Science Response Report is to aid in achieving departmental priorities, establishing sustainable harvest levels, and incorporate a precautionary approach within the Sustainable Fisheries Framework. The requested science review will serve as a foundation for co-management discussions, particularly focusing on including LRPs in Canada’s subsistence ECWG bowhead whale fishery and considerations for the Integrated Fishery Management Plan. The Science Response Report comprehensively reviews published literature on ECWG abundance estimates and precautionary approaches, specifically examining LRPs. This Science Response Report results from the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) regional peer review held on January 27, 2025, on the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Bowhead Whale Population Abundance and Limit Reference Points.