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provided by Seaworld/Busch Gardens :
Please visit their site
after you research, since they did all the hard work. The above
is their logo and has nothing to do with this site. Give all credit to them
please.
The Beluga
Whale
This research section includes
:
Scientific Classification, Habitat and Distribution, Physical Characteristics,
Senses, Adaptations for an Aquatic Environment, Behavior, Diet and Eating Habits,
Reproduction, Birth and Care of Young, Communication and Echolocation, Longevity
and Causes of Death, Conservation References, Bibliography, and Pictures.
A. Order Cetacea.
The scientific order Cetacea includes all whales. This large order is further divided into three suborders: the toothed whales, or Odontoceti (beluga whales, killer whales, dolphins, and porpoises), the baleen whales, or Mysticeti (fin whales, gray whales, and right whales), and the Archaeoceti (fossil whales, now extinct).
B. Family Monodontidae.
The only other member of this whale family is the narwhal, another arctic species.
C.Genus, species Delphinapterus leucas
1.The genus name, Delphinapterus, means "dolphin without a fin." The species name,leucas, means "white." The common name beluga is derived from the Russian word belukha, which means "white" (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
2.Other common names for the beluga include "white whale" and "belukha." They are also nicknamed "sea canaries" because of their vocalizations.
D. Fossil record.
1. Scientists believe that early whales arose 55 to 60 million years ago from (now extinct) ancient land mammals that ventured back into the sea.
2. Representatives from the modern family Monodontidae first appear in the fossil record 9 to 10 million years ago in the eastern North Pacific (Barnes, 1977).
A. Distribution.
1. Beluga whales are entirely arctic and subarctic. They inhabit the Arctic Ocean and its adjoining seas, including the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, the Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Nowak, 1991).
2. During certain times of the year belugas can be found in large rivers such as the Amur River of Russia, and the Yukon and St. Lawrence rivers of Canada (Nowak, 1991). Belugas have been found 1,995 km (1,240 mi.) up the Amur River, and 965 km (600 mi.) up the Yukon (Alaska Geographic Society, 1978).
B. Habitat.
1. During the summer months, most belugas inhabit icy waters of the arctic and subarctic, where water temperatures may be as low as 0-C (32-F). They swim among icebergs and ice floes.
2. Belugas are generally found in shallow coastal waters, often in water barely deep enough to cover their bodies (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981). They may also frequent deeper waters (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
3. In the summer many populations are found in warm-water estuaries and river basins(Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983). Belugas seem to be well adapted to both a cold ocean habitat and a warmer freshwater habitat (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
C. Migration.
1. Some beluga populations make seasonal migrations, while others remain in a relatively small area year-round (Nowak, 1991; Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
2. Environmental conditions determine migration behavior.
a. Most beluga whales migrate south as the ice pack advances in the autumn. One population of beluga whales summers in the Mackenzie River estuary of Northwest Territories, Canada, and migrates 5,000 km (3,105 mi.) southwest to coastal areas of the Bering Sea in the winter.
b. Many populations of belugas migrate north in the autumn. Belugas that spend the summer in Hudson Bay estuaries migrate north into the open bay in the winter (Nowak, 1991; Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
c.Belugas may migrate to either shallower or deeper waters (Nowak, 1991).
D. Population.
The world population of beluga whales is estimated to be about 62,000 to 80,000 (NMFS, 1994).
A. Size.
1. Male beluga whales average 3.4 to 4.6 m (11.2-15.1 ft.) and weigh about 1,500 kg (3,307 lb.) (Nowak, 1991).
2. Female beluga whales average 3 to 4 m (9.8-13.1 ft.) and weigh about 1,360 kg (2,998 lb.) (Nowak, 1991).
3. Beluga whales reach full size at about 10 years (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
B. Body shape.
A beluga whale's body is fusiform, but robust and stocky. It may have thick folds of blubber, especially along its ventral surface.
C. Coloration.
1. Adult belugas are yellowish-white to creamy white. Belugas attain their white coloration upon reaching sexual maturity (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
2. Calves are born dark gray to bluish or brownish gray and become darker after the first month. Thereafter they gradually become more pale. This is caused by a reduction of melanin in the skin (Nowak, 1991).
D. Pectoral flippers.
1. A beluga whale's forelimbs are pectoral flippers. Pectoral flippers have the major skeletal elements of the forelimbs of land mammals, but they're foreshortened and modified.
2. The skeletal elements are rigidly supported by connective tissue. Thick cartilage pads lie lengthwise between the bones of each digit. Connective tissue lies between the digits.
3. The pectoral flippers are small in proportion to the body. They're rounded, paddlelike, and slightly upcurled at the tips (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
4. Beluga whales use their pectoral flippers mainly to steer and, with the help of the flukes, to stop.
5. Blood circulation in the flippers adjusts to help maintain body temperature.
a. Arteries in the flippers are surrounded by veins. Thus, some heat from the blood traveling through the arteries is transferred to the venous blood rather than the environment. This countercurrent heat exchange aids belugas in conserving body heat.
b. To shed excess body heat, circulation increases in veins near the surface of the flippers and decreases in more insulated veins that lie deeper in the body core.
E. Flukes.
1. Each lobe of the tail is called a fluke. A deep median notch separates the two flukes.
2. Flukes are flattened pads of tough, dense, fibrous connective tissue, completely without bone.
3. The flukes of beluga whales are distinctly curved along the trailing edges.
4. Longitudinal muscles of the back (both above and below the spine) and caudal peduncle move the flukes up and down.
5. Like the arteries of the flippers, the arteries of the flukes are surrounded by veins to help maintain body temperature.
F. Hind limbs.
1. All traces of hind limbs have disappeared except for two reduced, rod-shaped pelvic bones, which are buried deep in body muscle.
2. These reduced hind limbs are not connected to the vertebral column.
G. Dorsal fin.
1. Beluga whales lack a dorsal fin. A dorsal fin would greatly impede the whale's ability to swim under ice; it must be able to swim just below the ice to locate a breathing hole.
2. The beluga has a dorsal ridge that runs from just behind the midpoint of the back to the tail flukes. The dorsal ridge may be notched, forming a series of small bumps, and may be dark gray.
H. Head.
1. Neck.
The seven neck vertebrae of a beluga whale are not fused, as they are in most cetaceans. Belugas have greater mobility and flexibility in their necks.
2. Rostrum.
Beluga whales have small, but distinct beaks (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
3. Teeth.
a. Belugas have 8 to 10 peg-shaped teeth on each side of both upper and lower jaws. Belugas have an average of 34 teeth (Nowak, 1991).
b. Teeth are adapted for grasping and tearing rather than chewing.
4. Melon.
a. The melon is a rounded
structure on the dorsal surface of a whale's head, just in front of the blowhole.
On beluga whales it is prominent and overhangs the rostrum. The melon is composed
of lipids (fats).
b. The melon probably facilitates sound production. It can change shape when the whale is producing sounds (Haley, 1978). For more information on sound production.
5. Eyes.
A beluga whale's small, dark eyes are located behind the corners of the mouth.
6. Ears.
Ears, located just behind the eyes, are inconspicuous openings with no external pinnae (flaps).
7. Blowhole.
A single blowhole, located on the dorsal surface of the head, is covered by a muscular flap. The flap provides a water-tight seal.
a. A beluga whale breathes
through its blowhole.
b. The blowhole is relaxed in a closed position. To open the blowhole, a beluga contracts the muscular flap.
I. Skin.
1. Like most other cetaceans, beluga whales lack hair as adults.
2. Unlike other cetaceans, which tend to generate and shed skin continuously, beluga whales appear to undergo a seasonal molt of the outer layer of skin. During the winter, the top layer of a beluga's skin may turn yellow, especially on its back and flippers. Rubbing on gravel river bottoms helps a beluga to shed this layer of skin (St. Aubin, Smith, and Geraci, 1989).
A. Hearing.
1. Beluga whales have a well-developed, acute sense of hearing. The auditory cortex of the brain is highly developed.
2. A beluga whale can hear sounds in the range of 1.2 to 120 kHz, with a peak sensitivity of about 10 to 75 kHz (Fay, 1988). The average hearing range for humans is about .02 to 20 kHz (Considine, 1976).
3. Sound reception.
a. Most sound reception
probably takes place through the lower jaw. A beluga may also receive sound
through soft tissue and bone surrounding the ear.
b. The fat-filled lower
jawbone appears to conduct sound waves through the jaw to bones in the middle
ears. The lower jaw of toothed whales broadens and is hollow at the base,
where it hinges with the skull. Within this very thin, hollow bone is a fat
deposit that extends back toward the auditory bulla (earbone complex). Sounds
are received and conducted through the lower jaw to the middle ear, inner
ear, and then to hearing centers in the brain via the auditory nerve.
c. A beluga has small external ear openings, a few inches behind each eye. Each opening leads to a reduced ear canal and an eardrum. Some scientists believe that beluga whales receive sounds through these openings. Other scientists believe that a beluga whale's external ear openings are nonfunctional.
B. Eyesight.
1. Beluga whales have acute vision both in and out of the water (Herman, 1980).
a. A beluga's eye is particularly
adapted for seeing in water. In air, certain features of the lens and cornea
correct for nearsightedness (Herman, 1980).
b. A beluga's retinas contain both rod and cone cells, indicating that they may have the ability to see in both dim and bright light (Herman, 1980). (Rod cells respond to lower light levels than cone cells do.) The presence of cone cells suggests that belugas may be able to see color, although this ability hasn't been documented.
2. Glands at the inner corners of the eye sockets secrete an oily, jellylike mucus that lubricates the eyes and washes away debris. This tearlike film may also protect the eyes from infective organisms.
C. Tactile.
Studies on belugas in zoological environments indicate that they seek out physical contact with other belugas (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
D.
Biologists have noted sensory areas in beluga whale mouths that may function in taste (Haley, 1986).
E. Smell.
Olfactory lobes of the brain and olfactory nerves are absent in all toothed whales, suggesting that they have no sense of smell.
A. Swimming.
1. In general, beluga whales are slow swimmers. They commonly swim about 3 to 9 kph (1.9-5.6 mph). They are, however, capable of sustaining a maximum speed of 22 kph (13.6 mph) for as long as 15 minutes (Nowak, 1991; Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
2. Belugas can swim forward and backward (Nowak, 1991).
3. Beluga whales often swim at depths barely covering their bodies (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
B. Diving.
1. Beluga whales typically don't dive very deep, usually to about 20 m (66 ft.). Belugas are not generally thought of as deep-diving marine mammals, but they are capable of diving to extreme depths. Under experimental conditions a trained beluga whale repeatedly dove to 400 m (1,312 ft.) with ease, and even dove to a depth of 647 m (2,123 ft.) (Nowak, 1991; Ridgway et. al., 1984).
2. A typical dive usually lasts three to five minutes, but belugas can stay submerged for as long as 15 minutes (Nowak, 1991; Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
3. In estuaries the usual diving sequence lasts about two minutes; the sequence consists of five to six shallow dives followed by a one-minute-long deeper dive (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
4. All marine mammals have physiological adaptations for diving. These adaptations enable a beluga whale to conserve oxygen while it's under water.
a. Beluga whales, like
other marine mammals, have a slower heart rate while diving. A beluga whale's
heart rate slows from about 100 to about 12 to 20 beats per minute during
a dive (Ridgway, 1972).
b. When diving, blood
is shunted away from tissues tolerant of low oxygen levels toward the heart,
lungs, and brain, where oxygen is needed.
c. Beluga whales retain
more oxygen in their blood than most mammals do. A beluga whale's blood volume
percentage (5.5%) is higher than a land mammal's, and similar to a Weddell
seal's (a deep-diving marine mammal). One study found a female beluga to have
16.5 l (17.4 qt.) of oxygen in her blood (Ridgway et. al., 1984).
d. The muscle of beluga whales has a high content of the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin. Myoglobin stores oxygen and helps prevent muscle oxygen deficiency.
C. Respiration.
1. A beluga whale breathes through a single blowhole, a modified nasal opening.
a. The beluga whale holds
its breath while under water.
b. It opens its blowhole
and begins to exhale just before reaching the surface of the water.
c. At the surface, the whale quickly inhales and closes the muscular flap.
2. As a beluga whale exhales, seawater around the blowhole is carried up with the respiratory gasses. Seawater and the water vapor condensing in the respiratory gasses as they expand in the cooler air form the visible blow of a beluga whale. A beluga's blow is about 90 cm (35 in.) high (Slijper, 1979).
3. Beluga whales have a breath-hold period that is longer than a human's, and they exchange more lung air with each breath.
D. Thermoregulation.
1. Beluga whales deposit most of their body fat into a thick layer of blubber that lies just underneath the skin. Blubber accounts for more than 40% of a beluga whale's weight (Sergeant and Brodie, 1969). This blubber layer insulates the whale and streamlines the body. It also functions as an energy reserve.
2. A beluga whale's circulatory system adjusts to conserve or dissipate body heat and maintain body temperature.
a. Arteries in the flippers
and flukes are surrounded by veins. Thus, some heat from the blood traveling
through the arteries is transferred to the venous blood rather than the environment.
This countercurrent heat exchange aids beluga whales in conserving body heat.
b. When a beluga whale dives, blood is shunted away from the surface of the skin. This decrease in circulation conserves body heat.
3. In the Mackenzie Delta region of the Canadian Arctic, river mouths of the delta are less than a mile from the edge of the ice pack. Belugas in this area can move from 0-C (32-F) pack ice to a 12-C to 18-C (54-64-F) shallow estuarine habitat in less than one hour (Bonner, 1980).
A. Social structure.
1. Beluga whales live in groups called pods; a pod is a cohesive social unit.
a. A pod may consist of 2 to 25 individuals (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983); the average pod size is about 10 (Nowak, 1991).
b. A pod generally consists of males and females (Slijper, 1979), though mothers with calves often form separate pods during the calving season (Haley, 1978). A single large male usually leads a pod (Nowak, 1991).
2. Several smaller pods may join occasionally to form larger groups of 200 to 10,000 individuals (Ridgway, 1972; Nowak, 1991). Such herds often form during migrations.
B. Social behavior.
1. Belugas are extremely social.
2. A pod of belugas hunts and migrates together.
3. Belugas may chase each other, either playfully or aggressively, and rub against each other (Sjare and Smith, 1986).
C. Individual behavior.
1. One of the most common beluga behaviors is vocalizing.
2. During calving season, adult belugas at sea have been observed carrying objects such as planks, a seine net, and even a caribou skeleton on their heads and backs. Female belugas in zoological habitats have also been observed carrying objects, such as floats or buoys, on their heads and backs after losing a newborn calf. Experts theorize that this interaction with objects may be surrogate behavior (Smith and Sleno, 1986).
3. Belugas exhibit a great deal of curiosity toward humans and often swim up to boats (Alaska Geographic Society, 1978).
4. Belugas do not exhibit as many aerial behaviors (jumping, breaching, etc.) as do dolphins and killer whales (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
D. Stranding.
When swimming in shallow waters, belugas often become stranded at low tide. They generally survive until the next high tide and swim away unharmed (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981; Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
E. Interaction with other species.
1. The beluga whales' habitat
overlaps with that of narwhals (Leatherwood and
2. Belugas often migrate with bowhead whales (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
A. Food preferences and resources.
Beluga whales are opportunistic feeders. They are known to prey on about 100 different kinds of primarily bottom-dwelling animals. They eat octopus; squid; crabs; shrimp; clams; snails; sandworms; and fishes such as capelin, cod, herring, smelt, and flounder (Perez, 1990; Haley, 1978).
B. Food intake.
In zoological habitats belugas eat approximately 2.5% to 3% of their body weight per day, about 18.2 to 27.2 kg (40-60 lb.)
C.
1. Belugas forage at or near the bottom of shallow water (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
2. A beluga whale's flexible neck allows a wide range of motion while foraging the ocean floor. Observations suggest that belugas can produce suction and a strong jet of water with their mouths (MacDonald, 1993) which may dislodge prey from the bottom.
3. Beluga whales also hunt schooling fishes. In groups of five or more, belugas herd fish into shallow water before attacking (MacDonald, 1993).
4. Beluga whales don't chew their food; they swallow it whole.
5. Researchers have found debris such as tree bark, plants, sand, stones, and paper in the stomachs of beluga whales (Haley, 1978).
A. Sexual maturity.
Male beluga whales become sexually mature at about eight to nine years of age, and females at about four to seven years (Nowak, 1991).
B. Mating activity.
1. Breeding generally takes place in March through May, about 10 months after calving (Haley, 1978).
2. Beluga whales breed in small bays and estuaries (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
3. A single dominant male may mate with several females (MacDonald, 1993; SWT).
Gestation is about 14 to 15 months (Nowak, 1991; Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
B. Birth seasons.
Calves are born March through September, depending on the region. Most are born May through July (Haley, 1978).
C. Frequency of birth.
A female may give birth to a single calf every two to three years (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983). Twins are rare (Haley, 1978).
D. Calving.
1. Calves are born in bays and estuaries, where the water is relatively warm: about 10-to 15-C (50-60-F) (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
2. Deliveries can either be tail-first or head-first. The umbilical cord snaps during or soon after delivery.
E. Calf at birth.
1. Observers of wild beluga populations have estimated that beluga calves average 1.6 m (5.2 ft.) and weigh about 80 kg (176.4 lb.) (Nowak, 1991). As of February 1995 three beluga whale calves have been born and successfully raised at Sea World parks. The average size of Sea World-born beluga calves is 1.5 m (5 ft.) and 54 to 64 kg (119-140 lb.).
2. At birth beluga calves are generally dark gray to bluish or brownish gray, becoming darker at about one month (Nowak, 1991).
3. Like other whales, beluga calves swim at birth.
F. Care of the young.
1. Nursing.
a. Like other mammals, a mother beluga whale nurses her calf. A calf suckles below the water from nipples concealed in abdominal mammary slits.
b. The calf may begin nursing several hours after birth and then nurses at hourly intervals thereafter (MacDonald, 1993).
c. According to research in zoological parks, the composition of beluga milk varies widely among individuals and fluctuates throughout the nursing period. Beluga milk may average 28% milkfat, 11% protein, 60.25% water, and less than 1% ash (SWT). The milk contains approximately 92 calories per ounce.
d. Beluga calves are dependent upon nursing for the first year, until their teeth emerge (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983). They then supplement their diets with shrimps and small fishes (Haley, 1978). Most calves may nurse for 20 to 24 months (Nowak, 1991). Some have been documented to nurse as long as two years (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
2. Mothers with calves often form pods separate from males (Haley, 1978).
3. While most maternal behavior is probably instinctive, first-time mothers are inexperienced at nursing their calves. At Sea World, the experience level of some first-time pregnant females is increased through training procedures that teach them to respond to nursing behavior.
G. Calf development.
Young belugas learn survival behaviors by observing and mimicking adults in their pod (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981).
A. Why sound in the sea is important.
Beluga whales probably rely on sound production and reception to navigate, communicate, locate breathing holes, and hunt in dark or murky waters. Under these conditions, sight is of little use.
B. Sound production.
1. Toothed whales produce sounds for two overlapping functions: communicating and echolocating.
2. Beluga whales are extremely vocal. The frequency and large repertoire of their vocalizations earned them the nickname "sea canaries."
3. At least 11 different beluga vocals have been documented, including high-pitched, resonant whistles and squeals; clucks; mews; chirps; trills; and bell-like tones (Haley, 1978).
4. Beluga vocals can be heard above water (Nowak, 1991) and through the hulls of ships (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
5. The larynx of toothed whales does not possess vocal cords.
6. Sounds are probably produced by movements of air between nasal sacs in the blowhole region. During sound production, a beluga whales's melon changes shape.
7. Scientific evidence suggests a general association between behavioral activity and the various types of vocals beluga whales use. For example, researchers have observed that beluga whales tend to emit more squawk-type calls during periods of social interaction than during alarm situations (Sjare and Smith, 1986).
8. There is no evidence that beluga whales use anything resembling human language.
C. Non-vocal communication.
Besides vocalizations, belugas may communicate through facial expressions and physical contact (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981). Visual behaviors such as breaches, pectoral slaps (slapping a pectoral flipper on the water's surface), and lobtails are not as common in belugas as in some other whale species (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).
D. Echolocation.
1. The term echolocation refers to an ability that toothed whales (and some other marine mammals and most bats) possess that enables them to locate and discriminate objects by listening for echoes. Toothed whales echolocate by producing clicking sounds and then receiving and interpreting the resulting echo.
a. Beluga whales produce directional clicks in rapid sequences called trains.
b. The click train passes through the melon. The melon acts as an acoustical lens to focus these sound waves into a beam, which is projected forward into the water in front of the whale.
c. In one echolocation study, a single beluga produced signals with peak frequencies of 40 to 60 kHz in San Diego Bay, California, and 100 to 120 kHz when moved to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The different frequencies were thought to be a response to the amount of ambient noise in the area (Au, et al, 1985).
d. Sound waves travel through water at a speed of about 1.6 km per second (1 mile/second), which is four and a half times as fast as sound traveling through air. The sound waves produced by a beluga whale bounce off objects in the water and return to the beluga in the form of an echo.
e. The major areas of sound reception are the fat-filled cavities of the lower jaw bones. Sounds are received and conducted through the lower jaw to the middle ear, inner ear, and then to hearing centers in the brain via the auditory nerve.
f. The brain receives the sound waves in the form of nerve impulses, which relay the messages of sound and enable the beluga whale to interpret the sound's meaning.
g. High frequency sounds don't travel far in water. Because of their longer wavelength and greater energy, low frequency sounds travel farther.
2. By this complex system of echolocation, toothed whales can determine size, shape, speed, distance, and even some of the internal structure of objects in the water. For belugas, echolocation is especially important for navigating under ice fields and locating breathing holes in the ice (Katona, Rough, and Richardson, 1983).
3. Studies show that beluga whales have a higher capability of echolocating in the presence of ambient noise than bottlenose dolphins. Belugas are also able to receive and use surface-reflected echoes, which may aid them in navigating under an extensive ice pack (Smith, St. Aubin, and Geraci, 1990).
4. Many of the details of echolocation are not completely understood. Research on echolocation is ongoing.
A. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)/World Conservation Union.
The beluga whale is listed in the IUCN/World Conservation Union's insufficiently knowncategory (Brownell, Ralls, and Perrin, 1989). Animals in this category are suspected of being either endangered, threatened, or vulnerable, but lack of information prohibits listing the beluga in one of these categories.
B.The International Whaling Commission (IWC).
1. In 1946, 14 countries signed the International Whaling Convention for the regulation of whaling, forming the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The purpose of the IWC is to protect the future of whale stocks as a resource.
2. Currently the IWC has no jurisdiction over small cetaceans. However, now that the harvest of most baleen whales and sperm whales has stopped, the IWC has expressed an interest in playing a role in managing small cetaceans as well.
3. The IWC has no means by which to enforce regulations.
C. Legal protection.
1. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972 made it illegal to hunt or harass any marine mammal in U.S. waters.
a. The MMPA does allow for certain exceptions: native subsistence hunting; collecting or temporarily restraining marine mammals for research, education, and public display; and taking restricted numbers of marine mammals incidentally in the course of fishing operations.
b. The primary objective of the MMPA is to maintain the health and stability of the marine ecosystem and to obtain and maintain an optimum sustainable population of marine mammals.
c. According to the MMPA, all whales in U.S. waters are under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
2. The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) is an international treaty developed in 1973 to regulate trade in certain wildlife species. CITES protects all species of toothed whales.
3. An isolated population of belugas in the St. Lawrence River has been legally protected since 1983. In 1988 the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Environment Canada (a government agency that oversees national parks) implemented the St. Lawrence Action Plan. The goal of the plan was to eliminate 90% of all industrial emissions in the St. Lawrence River by 1993. As of 1992 emissions had been reduced by 59% (Dold, 1993).
D. Marine zoological parks.
1. Having beluga whales at marine zoological parks provides the opportunity for the public to learn about these animals and how human activities impact their survival.
2. In the protected environment of a marine zoological park, scientists can examine aspects of beluga whale biology that are difficult or impossible to study in the wild.
At marine zoological parks that are home to beluga whales, people from all over
the world have the opportunity to learn about these animals and how human activities
impact their survival.
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