Terms of Reference

Supplementary Meeting of the National Marine Mammal Peer Review Committee for the Beluga Whale

February 16-17, 2009

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Chairperson: Don Bowen

Context

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is holding a supplementary meeting of the annual National Marine Mammal Peer Review Committee (NMMPRC) to conduct scientific peer review of beluga whale issues. This meeting is held along the margins of the Meeting of the Joint Commission on Narwhal and Beluga (JCNB). This approach gives the opportunity to bring together experts on marine mammals from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) with specific contributions from non-DFO experts to ensure high quality review of the scientific results and to provide sound scientific basis for the management and conservation of marine mammals in Canada. When time permits, this meeting is also an opportunity to review ongoing research projects and provide feedback or guidance to the scientists involved.

Objectives

The tri-annual (2006-08) management plan of the Nunavik beluga and adjacent waters is in its last year. There is a need to negotiate and develop in early 2009, with the Inuit leaders, a new multi-year agreement for the management of beluga. In addition to the usual zones, the Inuit are asking for access to new hunting zones, pilot project of Salliquit near the Belcher Islands and Umiujaq, new hunting seasons particularly for Ungava and Salisbutry Islands, a winter hunt in the Hudson Strait for the Western Hudson Bay stock, etc.  The goal is to obtain peer-reviewed scientific advice of the health of the Nunavik beluga population in order to determine an acceptable harvest level for 2009 and future years.

Working papers: Five working paper will be the subject of peer review:

1. Harvest statistics for northern Quebec belugas (Veronique Lesage)

2. Abundance of beluga from hunter observations (Mike Hammill, Veronique Lesage and Samuel Turgeon)

3. Abundance indices of beluga in James Bay, eastern Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay in summer 2008 (Veronique Lesage, Jean-Francois Gosselin and Mike Hammill)  

4. Population structure of Hudson Bay beluga (Julie Turgeon, Mike Hammill, Lianne Postma, Veronique Lesage and Bill Doidge)

5. Beluga abundance in Eastern Hudson Bay and impacts of harvest (Mike Hammill, Michael Kingsley and Veronique Lesage)

Output of the meeting

Five Research Documents and one Science Advisory Report are expected.

Participants

DFO Science
DFO Fisheries and Aquaculture Management
External Experts
Stakeholders