Cumberland Sound beluga
The Cumberland Sound belugas are a distinct population of
Biology
Adult females and males in the population reach mean lengths of 362 and 428 cm (11.88 and 14.04 ft) respectively and weigh from 800 to 1000 kg (1750 - 2200 Ibs). The peak
Belugas occupy mostly the western side of the Cumberland Sound in spring and early autumn. In summer, they are found mainly in Clearwater Fiord and adjacent bays where they are reported to feed on a large diversity of
Hunting
Commercial
Large commercial hunting by the Hudson's Bay Company during the commercial whaling period between 1868 and 1940 reduced the original population of some 5,000 whales [5] to less than 1,000 individuals in the 1970s.[6] This major population decline prompted the government to regulate hunting in the 1980s, with prohibition of commercial beluga harvests.[1]
Traditional
The Inuit of the southeast Baffin region have long depended on the hunt of belugas in Cumberland Sound for their survival and culture. Local hunters have extensive traditional ecological knowledge of belugas and hunt them mostly in summer, avoiding taking calves and females with calves.[7] As part of 1980s hunting regulations, quotas were set for Inuit harvests: the annual quota for belugas hunted in Cumberland Sound was 35 whales between 1992 and 2001, and was increased to 41 whales in 2002. Total landings between 1992 and 2001 fluctuated between 15 and 50, averaging 36 to 37 belugas per year.[1]
Conservation Status
In 1990, the southeast Baffin - Cumberland Sound beluga population was designated as
In 2004, the Cumberland Sound population was split off as distinct from the Baffin Island population and assessed as
See also
References
- ^ COSEWIC (2004). COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Beluga Whale Delphinapterus leucas in Canada(PDF) (Report).
- ^ a b Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2008). Information Relevant to the Identification of Critical Habitat for Cumberland Sound Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) (PDF) (Report).[permanent dead link]
- doi:10.1139/f71-198.
- ^ a b "Species at Risk Public Registry - Species Profile: Beluga Whale Cumberland Sound population". Archived from the original on 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
- ^ Mitchell, E.; Reeves, R. R. (1981). "Catch history and cumulative estimates of initial population size of cetaceans in the eastern Arctic". Rep. Int. Whal. Comm. 31: 645–682.
- ^ Brodie, P. F.; Parsons, J. L.; Sergeant, D. E. (1981). "Present status of the white whale, Delphinapterus leucas, in Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island". Rep. Int. Whal. Comm. 31: 579–582.
- ^ a b Kilabuk, P. (1998). A study of Inuit knowledge of the southeast Baffin beluga. Iqaluit, NU: Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. p. 74.
- ^ Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2002). Cumberland Sound Beluga Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Science Stock Status Report E5-32 (Report).