Thousands of beluga whales are captivating visitors in Canada’s Hudson Bay, while environmental concerns about their future in warming Arctic waters mount.
The playful white whales, known for their social nature, can be seen in large numbers, interacting with boats and tourists on the Churchill River.
Churchill, Manitoba, known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” has always relied heavily on polar bear tourism. However, with climate change reducing sea ice, local bear numbers have been threatened, prompting the town to turn its attention to the whales to sustain tourism.
Erin Greene, a local resident and paddleboard instructor, described the healing effect being in the water with a beluga whale has.
“Everybody’s smiling when they get off the water,” she said. “Everybody’s just experiencing joy. And it’s the whales that provide that.”
After surviving a polar bear attack in 2013, she found solace in the whales’ presence.
A beluga whale swims in Hudson Bay outside Churchill, northern Canada, on August 9, 2022. The town of Churchill, which once depended on polar bear tourism, is increasingly relying on beluga whale tourism due to the decline in bears caused by climate change.
OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images
Greene believes belugas are a different class to their cold water counterparts due to their gentle nature and capacity to co-exist, even embrace, the presence of humans.
In 2009, a captive beluga whale famously rescued a participant of a free diving competition by pushing her to the surface in Harbin, northeast China.
Their friendly demeanor and vocalizations have earned them the nickname “canaries of the sea.”
“With the beluga whales, I think it’s quite a different connection than with any other animal because the whales are truly choosing to socialize with you. They want to play,” Greene continued
A byproduct of the sea creature’s popularity is the boost it provides to the local economy— Churchill, a town with a rich indigenous history, has increasingly benefited, even depended, on the thriving beluga population.
Visitors flock there to experience the unique interaction with belugas, which don’t hesitate to approach people regardless of vessel size or circumstance.
Geoff York takes a photo of a beluga whale as it surfaces on August 4, 2024, in the Churchill River in Manitoba. Researchers like York are monitoring the belugas closely, worried about the impact of the changing Arctic ecosystem on their survival.
AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel
The Hudson Bay region is not only a crucial habitat for beluga whales, but is also at the heart of the effects climate change.
At the mouth of the Churchill River lies the gateway to the Canadian Arctic, which is warming three to four times faster than the rest of the planet.
Valeria Vergara, a whale biologist and senior scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, warned of the potential dangers the belugas face.
“The disappearing ice is going to affect them,” Vergara said, noting concerns about changes in the availability of Arctic cod, a key prey species for the whales.
Globally, beluga populations are believed to number around 200,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
While the species is currently listed as of “least concern,” scientists are increasingly worried about the long-term effects of warming waters, changes in the food supply, and the presence of killer whales, which are now moving into Hudson Bay as sea ice melts.
Another major concern is the impact of these ecosystem changes on beluga cultures.
Vergara explains that belugas form complex social networks, communicate with distinct calls—akin to names—and cooperate to raise their young.
Losing subpopulations of belugas would be like losing a human language, she said.
While belugas are currently not endangered, scientists like Pierre Richard of the Northern Studies Center in Churchill emphasize that the changing climate could have serious consequences for these whales.
Researchers are monitoring changes in their behavior, health and food supply.
“Whether belugas in the Hudson Bay are suffering from these ecosystem changes is not clear at all,” Richard said, adding that declining sea ice also leaves belugas vulnerable to predators like killer whales.
As climate change reshapes the Arctic, it remains unclear how well beluga whales will adapt.
As Vergara points out, “the threat to animal cultures can happen much quicker than the extinction of an entire species.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
