Chronic stress from fishing gear entanglement is recorded in baleen from a bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

Arctic ecosystems are experiencing rapid environmental changes (e.g., reduction in sea-ice extent, rising temperatures) coupled with the effects of increasing human activity associated with resource extraction, vessel traffic, and commercial fishing (Pompa et al. 2011, Doney et al. 2012, Moore et al. 2012). As a result, anthropogenic impacts on Arctic wildlife such as bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are expected to escalate (Reeves et al....