Terms of Reference

Review of Cumberland Sound Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) Stock Delineation

Regional Peer Review – Ontario and Prairie Region, and Arctic Region

October 26-27, 2022
In-person and Virtual (Hybrid) Meeting
Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg, MB

Chairperson: Sean MacConachie

Context

Cumberland Sound beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) are currently managed as a distinct stock based on genetic analyses and limited telemetry data. The stock is known to reside year-round in the sound, migrating into Clearwater Fiord in summer and to open water polynyas at the mouth of the sound in winter. The stock is hunted for subsistence near the community of Pangnirtung, and is co-managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB), the local Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Association, and the Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board.

Currently, Cumberland Sound beluga is listed on the Species at Risk Act (SARA) as “Threatened” (2017) and more recently, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) recommended Cumberland Sound beluga be considered “Endangered” (2020).

Local traditional and hunter knowledge has raised concerns that there are multiple stocks of beluga using Cumberland Sound, and that the current quota does not reflect this dynamic. DFO Fisheries Management on behalf of the Cumberland Sound Beluga Working Group has requested Science advice on the genetic population structure of beluga in Cumberland Sound that is being harvested by the hunters of Pangnirtung, and to identify what portion of the hunt is from each population. This advice will be used to inform future management decisions on the harvest of beluga in Cumberland Sound.

Objectives

1. Analyze all beluga samples collected in Cumberland Sound and compare their genetic make-up with that of other reference populations in the Hudson Bay-Strait Complex.
2. Assess if one or more genetically distinguishable groups are harvested in Cumberland Sound.
3. Review the timing and spatial distribution of the sampled whales with consideration of their genetic assignment.

Expected Publications

• Proceedings
• Science Advisory Report
• Research Document

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Science, Species at Risk Program, and Fisheries Management sectors)
• Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Academic
• Other invited experts