THE NARWHAL, MONODON MONOCEROS, IN THE NORWEGIAN HIGH ARCTIC

Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are known to frequent the waters of the Norwegian arctic archipelago of Svalbard. An attempt is made to summarize narwhal observations from the Svalbard area, and from this to deduce their distribution. Observations have been gathered from the literature, sealing vessel log books and official statistics. Interviews have also been conducted with residents of Svalbard. I con&de that narwhals are most frequently observed in the area off the north‐west corner of Spitsbergen.