First documented sighting of a group of bowhead whales outside their typical range in Hudson Bay

The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and has been greatly depleted through commercial whaling. Two bowhead whales were photographed swimming together in the Churchill River estuary, Manitoba, Canada, in 2020 using a time-lapse camera mounted at the port of Churchill. A systematic literature review of bowhead whale sightings off the coast of Manitoba from 1900 to today was performed to provide a summary of bowhead whale presence in the area. Bowhead whale sightings from residents and researchers working in the Churchill River area were also gathered. Results show that bowhead whales have rarely been reported off the coast of Manitoba. Observations of bowhead whales in other atypical areas have become more common in the past two decades and they all involved single individuals. This is the first recent sighting of a group of bowhead whales outside their typical range.