Beluga Whale Live Cam brings the ‘canaries of the sea’ to your screen

Glistening white, ice-dwelling beluga whales log hours of chatter from their melons as they navigate their icy world. This canaries of the sea are also among some of the most charismatic summer visitors to Canada’s Hudson Bay, where they arrive with their babies in tow to feast on fish and relax.

Now viewers from around the world can catch a glimpse of these blubbery cetaceans through Polar Bears International (PBI) and explore.org’s Beluga Whale Live Cam. The camera is planned to be launched Arctic Sea Ice Day (July 15).

“This is a really cool beluga population. It comprises a third of the belugas in the entire world,” says PBI conservation director and biologist Alysa McCall tells Popular science. “The belugas themselves usually live in the Arctic for most of the year. Their lack of a dorsal fin allows them to live among the sea ice.”

Beluga summer vacation

The belugas are gathering near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada along Hudson Bay. The area is better known for its polar bears, but is quite ecologically diverse. Species from different ecosystems – marine, tundra and boreal – all come together here. It is a migration hotspot for birds journeys to and from the Arctic, bringing nutrients along the way. Due to the shape of the coastline and the fresh water of the Churchill River, the area becomes ice quite early in the fall, when polar bears use the sea ice to hunt.

During the summer months white whales will descend to these warmer waters to avoid predators. Humans are their biggest threat, but they can also be eaten by polar bears. In addition, melting sea ice has caused orcas to crawl north. Although rare, killer whales can hunt belugas.

[Related: For polar bears contending with climate change, it’s ‘survival of the fattest’.]

“It just keeps some of them safer being in the Churchill River,” McCall said. “They can get into pretty shallow water that killer whales can’t get into.”

Until the end of August, a team of scientists will sail a boat for approximately four hours from Monday to Friday (weather permitting) to capture the belugas in action. The area is a beluga nursery, a gigantic cafeteria and a holiday spot at the same time. The scientists will also deploy a hydrophone to listen in on their whale’s abundant sounds.

“You’ll see all these family groups swimming among each other. Mothers take care of babies and in this maternal line, ‘sys McCall. “They like to follow the boat in the wake. We go super slow and the belugas just go along and they like to go in front of a camera. They bring their babies to the camera and talk all day.”

Earth’s air conditioner

The project coincides with a day to commemorate the importance of the Arctic sea ice, on which belugas and countless other organisms depend. Nicknamed the the planet’s air conditionersea ​​ice helps keep the planet cool. However, through a process called Arctic amplification, melting sea ice exposes darker-colored ocean water. This ensures that less heat is reflected from the Earth and that can disrupt the global climate. The North Pole can see it ice-free summers according to some of the latest climate models, by the early 2030s. This ice is the foundation of the entire Arctic ecosystem and its loss will have drastic consequences.

“Beluga whales are part of this Arctic ecosystem. Arctic sea ice is so much more than just frozen water,” says McCall. “Algae and plants grow in the ice and that forms this food chain in the north. This includes Arctic cod and other fish that the seals and belugas feed on, which then feed the polar bears, and so on.”

[Related: Toothed whales traded chewing for echolocation to evolve.]

Without the sea ice, these food chains could be lost. Underwater predators such as killer whales have already been introduced to make changes to the sea ice.

“Belugas were accustomed to this cold water as a cold-adapted species. They follow the ice and are connected to it,” says McCall. “They’re white and camouflage like this northern species, and now we’re changing the look of the northern and what it actually is.”

Standing up for talkative whales

One way to help is through the Beluga Bits Citizen Science Project. This project to promote beluga research seeks the public’s assistance in classifying individual belugas. Viewers are asked to view underwater photos of the belugas to help scientists identify their age, sex and group size. They also need eagle-eyed viewers to look for distinguishing features, such as scars, to help identify whales that return to Hudson Bay every year.

“I think when we can get people more involved in research, but also have a connection with nature and wildlife, and get people more involved in the process of scientific research and animal research, that’s always a good thing” , says McCall. .

[Related: New series offers an intimate look into how climate change impacts the lives of wildlife.]

Hudson Bay record levels of sea ice this springand Polar Bears International encourages people to talk about climate change and get involved in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re asking people to just use their voices and tell people about the beluga camera, how cool these animals are, and talk about how and why you care about them,” says McCall. “Then consider voting for people who care about them. If you want to make a difference, that’s the best thing you can do.”

Catch the Beluga Whale Live Cam here.