The Nature Files (Ep. 3): The Case of the Wayward Whales

Researchers have been coming to Kingnait Fjord in Canada’s Baffin Island for years to study how bowhead whales are adapting to climate change. But this year, the whales aren’t where they’re supposed to be. So the team of researchers are using environmental DNA to find out what’s got the whales on the move. Will they crack the case and find out what’s happened to these wayward whales?

Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of The Nature Files:
• Description of Baffin Island bowhead whales, what they eat (zooplankton), and how the whales and their food sources are adapting to climate change
• Using eDNA (from skin and excrement) to understand bowhead whale movements
• Technology used to study zooplankton (CTD, underwater vision profiler, echosounder, eDNA)
• Zooplankton, bowhead whale, killer whale

This episode is part of our series Nature Files. From invasive crabs to lost whales, tapping into the world of environmental DNA can be the key to solving some of nature’s biggest riddles. Join us as we crack the code on nature and unlock mysteries in The Nature Files.

Created by the Hakai Institute
Produced and edited by Katrina Pyne
Narrated by Grant Callegari
Script revisions by Meigan Henry
Fact-checking by Matt Lemay, Connor Mackie, and Sarah Fortune
Videography by Katrina Pyne
Killer whale footage courtesy of the University of British Columbia and the Hakai Institute, collected under marine mammal permit XMMS 6 2019 (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and A19-0053 (University of British Columbia Animal Care).

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