Wave of solidarity for belugas

Last July’s amendment to the Marine Mammal Regulations of the Fisheries Act stipulates that a distance of 400 metres must be maintained when observing St. Lawrence belugas throughout the Estuary. Previously, this measure applied only to waters within the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The new regulations concern all types of watercraft – kayaks, motorboats, Zodiacs, sailboats, etc. – operated by professionals or recreational boaters. “For belugas, it’s great news,” says Robert Michaud, scientific director at the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM). “By adopting such a regulation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada sends a clear message: Belugas need their space and the responsibility of protecting belugas lies with each and every one of us.”  It’s also good news for other species: a minimum distance of 100 metres must be maintained between marine mammals and boats in all Canadian waters.

In parallel, for a third year, the campaign “Show you care, keep your distance” is in full swing in the St. Lawrence Estuary. To limit disturbance during the beluga calving period, which runs from July to early September, awareness-raising activities are being conducted, including patrols at sea by Parks Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Teams meet with boat operators to discuss how they should manoeuvre their craft in the presence of belugas.

Another ongoing Fisheries and Oceans Canada project since the start of summer is to monitor belugas under water using data archivers called D-Tags, which record beluga vocalizations and ambient sounds, as well as information on depth, speed, etc. Véronique Lesage, research at DFO, will then look at the behavioural response of the belugas to noise. The data collected will also help feed the models developed by Yvan Simard and Clément Chion.

At the dawn of its 30^thanniversary, the “Adopt a Beluga” campaign continues to bring St. Lawrence belugas into people’s homes. Since 1988, no fewer than 150 white whales have been adopted by local municipalities, citizen groups, scouts, students, individuals, businesses, stores… This summer, the restaurant chain Bols and Poké in Quebec City chose to adopt a beluga. The owner of the chain, Mathieu Villeneuve, explains: “We want to encourage the river in our own way and get people talking about St. Lawrence belugas.” The Saguenay Watershed Organization (OBV Saguenay) and the students of the Quatre-Vents Elementary School sewed capes for beluga plush toys, which they then distributed throughout the community to discuss the precarious situation of Saint Laurent belugas. To date, over 100 people have had one of these cuddly belugas in their hands and together raised over $1,250.