Scientists stunned after documenting eerie new behavior in Arctic waters: 'Now it's fairly common'

As global temperatures continue to rise, the Arctic is seeing non-native species — like salmon and humpback whales — moving into its waters.

KTOO recently reported on the convening of researchers, hunters, and fishermen in January at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium. Up for discussion were the migration patterns of fish and whales that have been shifting due to the warming climate. 

What's happening?

Fishermen, whalers, and scientists have been seeing salmon and humpbacks in the Arctic. 

Salmon was considered a rare catch in Kaktovik, Alaska, just a few years ago. According to KTOO, resident Robert Thompson said that catching salmon was once so unusual that people would talk about it when someone did catch one. 

"Now it's fairly common," he said. And scientists are studying what fishermen have been experiencing.

Graduate student Elizabeth Mik'aq Lindley has worked with other researchers to monitor temperature changes in the region. The Alaska public radio station reported that she said, "Salmon are spawning in the Arctic, and it does seem like it's thermally survivable, thermally possible and plausible that they can incubate and emerge at the right time, given these temperatures."

Behavioral changes among whales have also been observed. Clarissa Ribeiro Teixeira has studied delayed migration among bowheads and its possible relation to the warming world. The marine ecologist said that "the reduction in the sea ice cover" may have changed the availability of food sources for the bowheads, causing them to search out new areas and prey types.

Meanwhile, whalers like Michael Donovan are concerned about new movement patterns of humpbacks into the Utqiaġvik area of Alaska — rarely a home to humpbacks and more regularly where bowheads roam. Per KTOO, he said, "They're an invasive species … . They come in and eat the same food that our bowheads eat."

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the average temperature in the Arctic has "already risen at a rate of almost four times the global average." As for the behavior changes this may be prompting in marine species, Teixeira said, "It shows how resilient these individuals are, right?" 

But naturalists and researchers like Teixeira continue to consider the ongoing implications of these changes for ocean life and for life on land as well.

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Why are the shifting migration patterns important?

Changing migration patterns of marine animals in the Arctic can impact Indigenous communities. For example, according to a 2024 report from Mongabay, the Iñupiat in Utqiaġvik "rely on whaling and subsistence hunting for the bulk of their diet." 

Shifts in regional migration can make hunting and fishing more difficult there. They can also impact global seafood supply and prices as the Arctic has been "home to several of the world's largest fish stocks," per the British Antarctic Survey. 

Migration shifts also have the potential to disrupt local environments. Humpbacks and salmon frequenting the Arctic could impact delicately balanced ecosystems and pose risks to native species. 

Utqiaġvik whaler Donovan pointed to the possibility that humpbacks invasive to the area might outcompete native bowheads for krill and copepods. In addition to disturbing ecosystems in Utqiaġvik, should bowheads make changes to cope — shifting their own migration or exploring new prey, potentially — what other ecosystems might be disrupted as a result?

What's being done about marine animals' changing migration patterns?

According to 2025 news from Mongabay, "the past nine years have been the warmest on record in the Arctic." As temperatures rise, marine animals may continue frequenting the region.

Scientists are advancing studies on species that are increasing their presence in the area. Kate Stafford, an oceanographer and professor at Oregon State University, has said, per KTOO, that hunters' knowledge has added to her research.

Collaborations will continue to be key to addressing rising global temperatures and their effects. But you don't have to be located in the Arctic to help.  

Reducing heat-trapping pollution can cool down the planet. And individuals can contribute by learning about climate issues and taking action themselves — such as by considering a switch to an electric vehicle, improving the energy efficiency of home appliances, and advocating for more eco-friendly policies.

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