Cumberland Sound Beluga

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The Cumberland Sound Belugas are a population of beluga whale. The population reside in the Cumberland Sound between the Hall Peninsula and the Cumberland Peninsula in Nunavut, Canada. Data recovered from tagged whales suggest that they reside in the sound all-year-round.

From 1992 to 2001, whale hunters harvested between 36 and 37 animals per year, on average, giving conservationists concern that the population could become depleted. Aerial surveys in 1999 indicated an estimated Cumberland Sound beluga population of 1,547. Belugas have been known to live as long as 57 years, as was the case of a whale found in the Beaufort Sea, but a sample taken from the Cumberland Sound revealed the oldest whales at 26 years for a female, and 24 years for a male.

Calves are born in July or August; its peak breeding season is in May. In the summer, the whales usually stay at the northern end of the sound.