Beluga Whale (Eastern High Arctic – Baffin Bay population)
Current status: Closed
This consultation ran from September 27, 2023 to December 22, 2023.
Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides legal protection for wildlife species at risk to conserve biological diversity. It also acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.
Before deciding whether Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) (Eastern High Arctic – Baffin Bay population) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as Special Concern, we would like to hear your opinion, comments and suggestions regarding the possible ecological, cultural and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species under SARA.
Join in: How to participate
Share your ideas online
The Government of Canada is engaging with Canadians on whether Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) (Eastern High Arctic – Baffin Bay population) should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk.
Please fill out the online survey. Thank you.
Key questions for discussion
Adding a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk
The process of listing a species under SARA consists of several steps: it begins with a status assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and ends with a Government of Canada decision on whether or not to add a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Public consultations are conducted to gather the opinions of Canadians and are an important step in this process.
Facts about Beluga Whale
Beluga Whales are toothed whales (odontocetes) with a rounded head, broad flippers, and no dorsal fin (Figure 1). Newborn Belugas are dark grey or brown and become lighter with age. Transition to uniformly white occurs at 10-20 years of age.
Belugas are about 1.5 m long at birth, and adult lengths range from 2.6 to 4.5 m depending on the population, with adult females being approximately 80% the length of adult males.
Beluga Whales have long been a major nutritional and cultural resource for Indigenous (primarily Inuit) communities in many parts of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Human settlement patterns were influenced, to some extent, by the seasonal availability of Belugas for hunting.
Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) and Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) are the only non-human predators of Belugas.
The Eastern High Arctic – West Greenland Beluga Whale resides in the North Water Polynya in the winter and disperses to summer in either central Arctic Canada or western Greenland (Figure 2).
Long description
Why is Beluga Whale, (Eastern High Arctic – Baffin Bay population), at risk?
COSEWIC concluded that this population was overexploited in the past, with consequent substantial decline (probably >50%). However, harvests are now likely sustainable and the population appears to have stabilized and may be growing. There is concern that increased vessel traffic facilitated by climate change is changing the nature of the acoustic habitat of this population. The population may fit, or is close to fitting, the criteria for Threatened.
If a species is listed under SARA
If Beluga Whale (Eastern High Arctic – Baffin Bay population) is listed, none of the potential prohibitions of SARA would apply and a sustainable Inuit harvest could continue. However, listing would result in the development of a SARA management plan that will include conservation measures for the species.
Related information
Contact us
Species at Risk Management
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
501 University Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6
fwisar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca