Spring Sightings of Narwhal and Beluga Calves in Lancaster Sound, N.W.T.

During aerial surveys in 1986 of whales migrating in Lancaster Sound, we observed newborn narwhals as early as 27 May and regularly thereafter. Beluga calves were first seen on 31 May and were seen sporadically throughout the study period. These observations represent the earliest reported sightings to date of newborn narwhals.

Historical Population Characteristics of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) in Hudson Bay

Historical records of commercial whalers operating in northwestern Hudson Bay during the 19th century were examined for information on size, age, sex, and location of bowhead whales that were either sighted or killed. Correlations between body size and either oil yield or baleen length were used to estimate the relative age classes (calf, subadult, adult) of whales for which no explicit age-class information was reported in the whaling logbooks. Cow-calf pairs and subadults, as well as adult whales, were sighted or killed throughout the whaling season in the area extending from Wager Bay south to Marble Island. This finding indicates that whales of many different age classes were present south of Wager Bay, even during the open-water period when whaling activity shifted northward to include Repulse Bay and Lyon Inlet. Recent observations suggest that few bowhead whales occur south of Wager Bay during the open-water season and that the population in this area has not recovered from the effects of commercial whaling. It is not clear whether this group of bowheads was a separate stock or, alternatively, waters south from Wager Bay constituted a second calf-rearing area for a single Hudson Bay-Foxe Basin stock.On s'est penché sur des documents historiques provenant de baleiniers commerciaux en activité dans le nord-ouest de la baie d'Hudson au XIXe siècle, afin d'extraire de l'information sur la taille, l'âge, le sexe et l'emplacement des baleines boréales qui avaient été aperçues ou tuées. On s'est servi des corrélations entre la taille des cétacés et la production d'huile ou la longueur des fanons pour estimer les groupes d'âge relatifs (baleineau, subadulte, adulte) de baleines pour lesquelles aucune information explicite sur le groupe d'âge n'avait été rapportée dans le livre de bord des baleiniers. Des paires de baleine mère-petit et des subadultes ainsi que des mâles adultes avaient été aperçus ou tués durant toute la saison de chasse à la baleine dans la zone s'étendant de la baie Wager jusqu'à l'île Marble vers le sud. Ces résultats montrent que des baleines appartenant à de nombreux groupes d'âge se trouvaient au sud de la baie Wager, même durant la période d'eau libre quand la pêche à la baleine se déplaçait plus au nord en incluant Repulse Bay et Lyon Inlet. Des observations récentes suggèrent que peu de baleines boréales sont maintenant présentes au sud de la baie Wager durant la saison d'eau libre et que, dans cette zone, la population n'a pas récupéré des effets de la chasse commerciale à la baleine. On ne sait pas exactement si ce groupe de baleines boréales appartenait à un stock distinct, ou si, par contre, les eaux au sud de la baie Wager représentaient une deuxième zone d'élevage des petits pour un stock unique habitant la baie d'Hudson et le bassin de Foxe

H. Stuart Innes (1953-2000)

Dr. Stuart Innes (Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans), along with Dr. Malcolm Ramsay (University of Saskatchewan), died in a helicopter crash near Resolute Bay, Nunavut, on 21 May 2000. Both Stu and Malcolm are remembered with affection and admiration for their boundless energy and devotion to their scientific endeavours in the Arctic. Those of us at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) remember Stu as an outspoken and talented scientist who loved the Arctic. His research interests were diverse and included population ecology and modeling, reproduction and physiology, genetics, and contaminants. He authored and co-authored numerous papers for various journals and other publications. He was also a leader on international, national, and regional projects and committees. ... Stu spent three to four months a year conducting research in remote Arctic field camps. He had great respect for the people of the North and their land. This respect revealed itself in many ways, including his ongoing efforts to learn Inuktitut. ... He frequently lived and worked alongside Inuit, and he understood and promoted the value of incorporating their knowledge and experience into scientific studies. Stuart had a highly inquisitive mind and a real appetite for life. His joys were simple: good friends, dedicated colleagues, and the loyal companionship of his dogs. His sudden passing is a great loss to his family, friends, and colleagues. He will long be remembered by all those fortunate enough to have known him

Distribution and Numbers of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) in Northwestern Hudson Bay in August 1995

ABSTRACT. There is interest among the Inuit of Nunavut in renewing subsistence hunting of bowhead whales. Managing a limited harvest while allowing for stock recovery from commercial whaling requires some estimate of stock numbers. The large geographic range of bowhead whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic precludes cost-effective estimation of total stock size; however, estimates of summer aggregation sizes can be derived from sampling of summering areas. Although these numbers do not represent total stock size, they do provide indicators of the minimum number of bowheads known to be present and may be useful as indices for monitoring stock recovery. A visual aerial survey conducted in northwestern Hudson Bay resulted in an estimate of 75 ± 27.5 (95 % Confidence Interval = 17–133) bowhead whales. This estimate is conservative because it was not corrected for submerged whales or for whales that were at the surface but not seen by observers. Most sightings of whales were made in Repulse Bay and Frozen Strait. Key words: aerial survey, bowhead whale, distribution, northwestern Hudson Bay, stock size RÉSUMÉ. Parmi les Inuit du Nunavut, on s’intéresse à reprendre la chasse de subsistance à la baleine boréale. La gestion d’une récolte limitée, qui permettrait au stock de baleine boréale de se rétablir des effets de la pêche commerciale, demande qu’on ait une idée du nombre d’individus qui composent cette population. L’ampleur du territoire géographique de la baleine boréale dans l’Arctique canadien oriental écarte la possibilité de réaliser une estimation du nombre total d’individus, qui soit efficace en terme de coûts; il est cependant possible de dériver des estimations de la taille des concentrations estivales à partir d’échantillonnage