Cumberland Sound Beluga
Encyclopedia
The Cumberland Sound Belugas are a population of beluga whale
. The population reside in the Cumberland Sound
between the Hall Peninsula
and the Cumberland Peninsula
in Nunavut
, Canada
. Data recovered from tagged whales suggest that they reside in the sound
all-year-round.
and invertebrate
species. Based on recent results obtained from satellite-tagging studies, belugas spend most of their time in the centre of the Sound in late autumn, then move to the eastern side near the mouth of the Sound in early winter.
. Local hunters also report that belugas at the floe-edge in spring prey mainly on Arctic cod
and turbot under the ice.
of the southeast Baffin region have long depended on the hunt of belugas in Cumberland Sound for their survival and culture. During the commercial whaling period, large numbers of belugas were killed. Hunters see variation in the numbers of belugas from year to year but they are seeing more belugas today than they did in the recent past. The annual quota for belugas hunted in Cumberland Sound was 35 whales between 1992 and 2001, and was increased to 41 whales in 2002. As a condition of increasing the quota, the community is collecting information on struck and loss rates and landings. Hunters hunt belugas mostly in summer and try to avoid taking calves and females with calves. Total landings between 1992 and 2001 fluctuated between 15 and 50, averaging 36 - 37 belugas per year. In 1990, the southeast Baffin - Cumberland Sound beluga population was designated as "Endangered" by the Canadian Committee on the Status of Endangered Eildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) following declines in beluga numbers estimated from aerial surveys data. Aerial surveys in 1999 indicated an estimated Cumberland Sound beluga population of 1,547.
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
. The population reside in the Cumberland Sound
Cumberland Sound
Cumberland Sound is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is a western arm of the Labrador Sea located between Baffin Island's Hall Peninsula and the Cumberland Peninsula...
between the Hall Peninsula
Hall Peninsula
The Hall Peninsula is a peninsula on the southern end of Baffin Island, in Nunavut, Canada. It lies between Frobisher Bay on the west, and the Cumberland Sound on the east between 62°40'N and 65°10'W. The Hall Peninsula is part of the Arctic Tundra biome—the world's coldest and driest biome. The...
and the Cumberland Peninsula
Cumberland Peninsula
Cumberland Peninsula is a peninsula in the southeastern part of Baffin Island, in Nunavut, Canada. It is located between 64°56' and 67°57' north latitude, and 61°56' to 68° west longitude. The Arctic Circle crosses the peninsula, with the Labrador Sea to the southeast, and the Davis Strait to the...
in Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Data recovered from tagged whales suggest that they reside in the sound
Sound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....
all-year-round.
Description
In Cumberland Sound, adult females and males reach mean lengths of 362 cm (11.9 ft) and 428 cm (14.0 ft) respectively and weigh from 800 to 1000 kg (1750 - 2200 Ibs). The peak breeding season appears to occur in May with calves being born in late July or early August after a gestation period of about 14.5 months. The oldest female and male sampled from the catch in Cumberland Sound to date are 26 and 24 years respectively. In many stocks, belugas can live to be 35 – 40 years of age.Location
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 variety of fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
species. Based on recent results obtained from satellite-tagging studies, belugas spend most of their time in the centre of the Sound in late autumn, then move to the eastern side near the mouth of the Sound in early winter.
Diet
During the late autumn and early winter belugas dive to depths of 300 m or more in the middle of Cumberland Sound, likely to feed on deep-water species such as Greenland halibut, also known as turbotTurbot
The turbot is a species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.-Etymology:...
. Local hunters also report that belugas at the floe-edge in spring prey mainly on Arctic cod
Arctic cod
The Arctic cod is an Arctic deepwater fish related to the true cod .-Names:The fish has several common names, including polar cod and Greenland cod...
and turbot under the ice.
Population and Hunting
The InuitInuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
of the southeast Baffin region have long depended on the hunt of belugas in Cumberland Sound for their survival and culture. During the commercial whaling period, large numbers of belugas were killed. Hunters see variation in the numbers of belugas from year to year but they are seeing more belugas today than they did in the recent past. The annual quota for belugas hunted in Cumberland Sound was 35 whales between 1992 and 2001, and was increased to 41 whales in 2002. As a condition of increasing the quota, the community is collecting information on struck and loss rates and landings. Hunters hunt belugas mostly in summer and try to avoid taking calves and females with calves. Total landings between 1992 and 2001 fluctuated between 15 and 50, averaging 36 - 37 belugas per year. In 1990, the southeast Baffin - Cumberland Sound beluga population was designated as "Endangered" by the Canadian Committee on the Status of Endangered Eildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) following declines in beluga numbers estimated from aerial surveys data. Aerial surveys in 1999 indicated an estimated Cumberland Sound beluga population of 1,547.