Orcas moved into the Arctic. It could be bad news for other whales, and humans too

By Nono Shen – Vancouver City News

Killer whales are expanding their territory and have moved into Arctic waters as climate change melts sea ice, with two genetically distinct populations being identified by Canadian scientists.

But their study says that could have “severe consequences” for potential prey whales such as belugas, narwhals and bowheads, that lead researcher Colin Garroway called “slow, chubby and delicious.”

Garroway, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Manitoba, said in an interview that the situation was complex — the Arctic orcas have the potential to upend ecosystems as apex predators, even as they merit conservation concern