The number of narwhal in Baffin Bay is estimated at more than twice the previous figure after a recent survey using new techniques, say scientists with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Previously estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000, the Baffin Bay population is now said to be more than 60,000.

One of the new surveying techniques involves a formula to estimate the number of narwhal below the surface at any given time, says Pierre Richard, a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Ocean.

Past surveys counted only whales on the ocean surface, not those beneath it, he said. For the most recent count, researchers attached trackers to more than a dozen whales.

"We found that narwhal on average spent one-third of their time at the surface. So for every animal that you would see at the surface, there are another two below the surface," said Richard.

"In other words, you have to multiply the numbers you estimate at the surface by three to get the total population - that's approximate."

The chair of the Hunters and Trappers Organization in Pond Inlet, Jayko Alooloo, says the new numbers are not a surprise. Still, he says there are fewer whales in certain places, such as Eclipse Sound.

Alooloo says hunters worry that increased marine traffic, snowmobiles, and the placing of trackers on whales is causing narwhal to bypass former hunting zones.

In fact, hunters are harvesting fewer whales than before. Alooloo says they took only 72 last summer even though they have a quota for 130 narwhal.

Meanwhile, Richard says while the new data is more accurate, it's still important to remember the numbers represent averages, and that any changes in quota should consider the most conservative estimates.