Cumberland Sound beluga facts for kids

The Cumberland Sound belugas are a special group of belugas that live in the Cumberland Sound in Nunavut, Canada. These whales stay in the sound all year round. In summer, they gather in Clearwater Fjord to have their babies. This group of belugas is quite isolated and has unique genetic traits not found in other beluga populations.

Beluga Life and Habits

Size and Family Life

Adult female belugas in this group are about 3.6 meters (12 feet) long. Males are a bit bigger, reaching about 4.3 meters (14 feet). They weigh between 800 and 1000 kilograms (1,750 to 2,200 pounds).

Belugas usually have their babies in late July or early August. The mothers carry their babies for about 14.5 months. Belugas can live for about 16 years, but some have been seen in their late 20s. The oldest belugas found in Cumberland Sound were 26 and 24 years old. These belugas have a low number of babies, which is common for large, long-lived animals.

Where They Live and What They Eat

In spring and early autumn, belugas mostly stay on the western side of Cumberland Sound. During summer, they are found in Clearwater Fiord and nearby bays. Here, they eat many different kinds of fish and small sea creatures like squid, tube worms, caplin, Greenland cod, and Atlantic cod.

In late autumn and early winter, belugas move to the center of the Sound. They dive deep, sometimes over 300 meters (980 feet), to hunt for deep-water fish like Greenland halibut. Local hunters also say that belugas near the edge of the ice in spring eat Arctic cod and turbot. In winter, belugas follow open water to the eastern side of the Sound, near its mouth.

Hunting Belugas

Past Commercial Hunting

From 1868 to 1940, large companies like the Hudson's Bay Company hunted belugas for profit. This commercial hunting greatly reduced the beluga population in Cumberland Sound. It went from about 5,000 whales down to less than 1,000 by the 1970s. Because of this big drop, the government stopped commercial beluga hunting in the 1980s.

Traditional Inuit Hunting

The Inuit people of southeast Baffin have always relied on hunting belugas in Cumberland Sound. It is important for their survival and culture. Local hunters have a lot of knowledge about belugas. They mostly hunt them in summer and try not to take baby belugas or mothers with calves.

As part of the hunting rules in the 1980s, limits were set for Inuit harvests. From 1992 to 2001, the annual limit was 35 whales. In 2002, it was increased to 41 whales. Between 1992 and 2001, hunters caught an average of 36 to 37 belugas each year.

Protecting Belugas

In 1990, the beluga population in southeast Baffin - Cumberland Sound was listed as Endangered. This was because their numbers had dropped so much due to overhunting.

However, surveys in 1999 showed that the Cumberland Sound beluga population had grown to about 1,547 whales. This meant the population was becoming stable and slowly recovering.

In 2004, the Cumberland Sound beluga population was recognized as a separate group. It was then listed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Scientists are now studying how the population changes and how the belugas live in their environment. This research helps create plans to protect and help the belugas recover.

While current hunting limits seem sustainable, there are still worries. More boat traffic can create noise that bothers the belugas. Also, humans fishing for Greenland halibut might compete with belugas for food.