The St. Lawrence belugaConservation strategiesThe recovery plan sets forth strategies defined on the basis of potentially limiting factors with the aim of favouring the protection of the beluga and its habitat. Each strategy is accompanied by a series of recommendations. The purpose of these recommendations is to restore the St. Lawrence beluga population to a state where natural events and human activities will not threaten its survival. The Beluga Committee—made up of specialists in the field of beluga recovery—monitors the implementation of the recovery plan. Here are the five strategies proposed by the Recovery Team*:
B. Reduce disturbance caused by human activities in areas frequented by belugas C. Prevent ecological catastrophes and ensure emergency preparedness D. Monitor the state of the population E. Investigate other potential obstacles to beluga recovery * Translated from St. Lawrence Beluga Recovery Team. 1995. St. Lawrence Beluga Recovery Plan. Department of Fisheries and Oceans of Canada and World Wildlife Fund WWF-Canada. 73p.
A. Achieve, in the St. Lawrence ecosystem, an overall reduction in toxic contaminants believed to be having an impact on belugasThe Recovery Team acknowledges that further restrictions on the quantities of deleterious substances entering the St. Lawrence ecosystem, from effluents and the atmosphere, as well as measures to minimize the re-circulation of contaminants already in the system, particularly in sediments, are necessary to ensure the recovery of the beluga population. In addition to governmental regulatory initiatives, industries should take leadership regarding environmental issues and operate without causing a detrimental impact on the environment. Binding agreements between government and industries should focus on the development of pollution prevention plans that would lead to the elimination of inefficiencies and the adoption of the best non-polluting technology. Recovery Plan recommendations: A.1 Identify and clean up contaminated sites which could pose a threat to belugas
Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations (1996-1997) B. Reduce disturbance caused by human activities in areas frequented by belugasThe recovery plan presents activities for reducing disturbance and establishing a viable cohabitation between humans and belugas. Awareness campaigns should emphasize the importance of not disturbing the belugas and steps should be taken to ensure that belugas do not become the target of whale-watching excursions. Moreover, since belugas exhibit a high level of fidelity to a number of sites within their summer range, these areas should all be considered sensitive to boat traffic and to future coastal development projects. For example, measures to limit the speed of boats or the numbers of boats in a given area could be examined. Such measures are preferable to prohibiting access, although area closure remains an option in the future. Recovery Plan recommendations: B.1 Minimize disturbance to belugas
Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations (1996-1997) C. Prevent ecological catastrophes and ensure emergency preparednessThe impact of a spill is higher for oil than it is for any other toxic material because the volumes transported are higher. Exposure to oil should be avoided when possible, especially since controlling movements of belugas to steer them away from the spill might be difficult. Groups of belugas tend to split up when attempts are made to drive them ashore. Activities that ensure the prevention of accidental spills and an adequate emergency response capability to deal with spills and to protect the beluga population should be maintained, enhanced or developed. Precautions should also be taken not to introduce pathogens that could cause an epidemic. Recovery Plan recommendations: C.1 Develop a protocol to prevent the introduction of diseases and to specify the measures to be taken in the event of an outbreak
Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations (1996-1997) D. Monitor the state of the populationMonitoring the population is essential to ensure that any improvement or deterioration of its status is detected. It entails conducting population surveys and studying stranded carcasses , which have been the main source of information beluga biology (diseases, contaminant burden, age at death, etc.). Population size and structure need to be monitored to discern trends, understand the mortality pattern and identify recruitment problems. Data collected on living animals would help elucidate the relationship between contaminants and various health indicators. Recovery Plan recommendations: D.1 Maintain and improve the St. Lawrence stranding network
Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations (1996-1997) E. Investigate other potential obstacles to beluga recoveryOther obstacles to recovery may exist and should be investigated. The most obvious is reduced genetic variability resulting from the small size of the population. In mammals, low genetic variability has been associated with reduced juvenile survival and decreased immunity, but low diversity is not unusual in marine mammal populations. The beluga could also be adversely affected by a decline in the availability and quality of its food sources, or by toxic substances other than the compounds previously identified. The food and habitat requirements at different times of the year, the genetic diversity and competition with other species and fishing activities are therefore all aspects of beluga ecology that should be studied. Recovery Plan recommendations: E.1 Investigate the population genetic structure and mating system
Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations (1996-1997) |