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NRLD - 93392 | Delphinapterus leucas

Assessment ID
93392
Taxon name
Delphinapterus leucas
(Pallas, 1776)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Delphinapterus leucas
(Pallas, 1776)
Common name(s)
Beluga Whale (English), Béluga (Français)
Assessed taxon level
Population
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
chordata
Class
mammalia
Order
cetacea
Family
monodontidae
Genus
Delphinapterus
Species
leucas
Species authority
(Pallas, 1776)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Cumberland Sound population
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
Canada
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
Canada
Country ISO code(s)
CAN
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Threatened; Menacée
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D1
Criteria system used
Modified IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification
Numbers of belugas using Cumberland Sound have declined by about 1500 individuals between the 1920s and present. The population decline is believed to have been caused by hunting by the Hudson Bay Company into the 1940s and by the Inuit until 1979. Hunting has been regulated since the 1980s. Current quotas (41 in 2003) appear to be sustainable. Concerns have been raised about increased small vessel traffic and the associated noise of outboard motors, as well as fishery removals of Greenland halibut, a food of belugas.; Le nombre de bélugas utilisant la baie de Cumberland a connu un déclin d'environ 1500 individus entre les années 1920 et aujourd'hui. La chasse par la Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson jusque dans les années 1940 et la chasse par les Inuits jusqu'en 1979 semblent être la cause du déclin. La chasse est réglementée depuis les années 1980. Les quotas actuels (41 en 2003) semblent être durables. Des préoccupations concernant le trafic accru de petites embarcations et le bruit des moteurs hors bord qui leur est associé, ainsi que la pêche au flétan noir, un aliment consommé par le béluga, ont été soulevées.
Assessment details
Year assessed
2004
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Environment Canada.
Criteria system used
Modified IUCN
Reference for methods given
COSEWIC- Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (2004)
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Yes
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Nunavut; Arctic Ocean
Is there a map available in assessment?
Not_assigned
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Terrestrial
Not_assigned
Freshwater
Not_assigned
Marine
Not_assigned
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
No information available
History
The Southeast Baffin Island-Cumberland Sound population was designated Endangered in April 1990. In May 2004, the structure of the population was redefined: the Southeast Baffin Island animals (formerly part of the Southeast Baffin Island-Cumberland Sound.; La population du sud-est de l'à®le de Baffin et de la baie Cumberland a été désignée ' en voie de disparition ' en avril 1990. En mai 2004, la structure de la population a été redéfinie : les individus du sud-est de l'à®le de Baffin (appartenant autrefois à la population du sud-est de l'à®le de Baffin et de la baie Cumberland) ont été ajoutés à la population de l'ouest de la baie d'Hudson. En mai 2004, la population de la baie Cumberland, nouvellement définie, a été désignée ' menacée '.
Publication
COSEWIC. 2004. Canadian Wildlife Species at Risk. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Web site: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/wildlife-plants-species/species-risk.html