Fisheries and Oceans Canada launches a new study to protect the beluga

A new initiative led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada through the Maurice Lamontagne Institute aims to balance increasing human presence with beluga preservation through a better assessment of the impacts of maritime traffic on the endangered whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary.

Four radar stations were installed in June along the coasts of Île Verte, Île Rouge and Île aux Pommes, covering the critical south channel area for the belugas. The zone hosts a community of females and young individuals that are particularly vulnerable to human disturbances.

The research seeks to better understand the impact of maritime noise on belugas that rely on a complex acoustic language for communication and navigation. Sounds produced by ships can interfere with these vital signals, affecting feeding and reproduction. The project will also provide a clearer picture of recreational maritime traffic by detecting smaller vessels and those without automatic identification systems.

The Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), which counts several Green Marine supporters among its collaborators, including Ocean Wise, the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, the Marine Mammal Observation Network (MMON), and Réseau Québec maritime, welcomes the initiative. According to its scientific director, Robert Michaud, the study will help to fill knowledge gaps about the interactions between recreational boaters and belugas.

The study is part of the Canadian government’s Oceans Protection Plan’s second phase (2023–2028) and represents a vital step to protect this iconic whale species. The study’s data collection is expected to be completed within a year.

_{Photo credit: Courtesy of the GREMM}