Question of the monthDuring an interview with Véronique Lesage, Cetacean research scientist, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Whales online asked her the following question: The St. Lawrence belugas are endangered. What about the belugas living in Northern Quebec?V. L.: The belugas of Northern Quebec are divided into at least three separate stocks: Ungava Bay, Eastern Hudson's Bay and Western Hudson's Bay. In 1988 the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) designated the Ungava Bay stock endangered while the Eastern Hudson's Bay stock was designated threatened. The western Hudson's Bay stock does not appear to be at risk. In the fall, belugas from the three stocks migrate to Hudson's Straight where they spend the winter. At this time they are quite numerous. This could lead communities that hunt them in the winter to overestimate the abundance of belugas from Eastern Hudson's Bay and Ungava Bay. The three stocks separate in the spring for the mating season. Why are these two stocks at risk? Initially, an extensive commercial hunt, managed by the Hudson's Bay Company, rendered these stocks vulnerable. In Ungava Bay this hunt lasted from the 1860s to the early 1900s. The Eastern Hudson's Bay stock was hunted from 1854 to 1877. In both cases the commercial hunt was terminated as numbers dropped to the point where it was no longer commercially viable to hunt belugas; they had become too rare. Presently all three beluga stocks are the target of subsistence hunting by the aboriginal communities of Northern Quebec (Nunavik). This hunt has been regulated since the middle of the 1980s by a joint management plan of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and representatives from Nunavik. Representatives from Nunavut are also informed of the content of the management plan. While the establishment of management plans reduced the number of belugas taken and imposed the permanent or seasonal closing of certain zones heavily used by belugas, problems remain. Among them is the fact that quotas are systematically exceeded. Certain communities are not very inclined to respect the measures of the management plan or furnish samples to assist in completing the understanding of the identity and seasonal movements of various stocks. As well, there is a lot of uncertainty as to the accuracy of the number of belugas that truly exist. Also, we don't know the origin of belugas killed by each community, especially in Hudson's Straight. However, enough is known to determine that the Eastern Hudson's Bay stock has diminished drastically in recent years and that the pressure of present hunting is not sustainable. As it stands, it is estimated that this stock could disappear within the nest 10 to 15 years. The new management plan, negotiated last May, includes additional measures to reduce pressures of the hunt on the belugas of Eastern Hudson's Bay. An aerial survey carried out in August 2001 will lead to up-to-date estimates of abundance of belugas in James Bay and Nunavik waters. This will also help us to evaluate stock trends. Equally, a genetic sampling programme, which was put in place several years ago to determine the origin of belugas killed during the hunt, will continue this year. Fisheries and Oceans Canada works closely with Nunavik communities towards the success of this management plan. Obviously, the very survival of the belugas of these regions depends on it. Just as important, however, is the continuation of an activity that is an integral part of Nunavik heritage and culture. I want to know more
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