Whales
Whales belong to the Order Cetacea, of which there are about 80 species, including dolphins and porpoises. Only two species have extensive distribution in the NWT: beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and bowhead (Balaena mysticetus). The gray whale, killer whale and narwhal are occasionally seen within NWT waters of the Beaufort Sea.
The beluga and narwhal are closely related. They both belong to the family of toothed whales (Monodontidae) and are similar in size, which is rather small by whale standards. The bowhead is a baleen whale. Its teeth have been replaced by whalebone, or baleen, which is made of fringed plates of agglutinated hairs suspended from the upper jaw. The beluga and bowhead whales lack a dorsal fin, which is believed to be an adaptation to ice-infested arctic waters.
Muktuk (the outer skin plus a portion of the blubber layer) is a prized delicacy. It is also an important source of nutrition, since it is rich in vitamin C. Eaten raw when fresh, it is also boiled and canned in plastic pails. It remains "good" for about 7 months, after which it becomes very strong-tasting, although some do not object to the flavour. The meat is cut into long strips and dried, smoked and bagged. Most of it is eaten (dipped in whale oil), but some of it is fed to dogs.
Management
There are still many gaps in our knowledge of whales. So much of their lives is spent out of our sight, beneath the waves and in isolated areas, that fruitful study is difficult. Yet the first step to ensuring their survival lies in solving the many mysteries which surround them.
Originally, Canada belonged to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which was organized in 1946 by 22 nations. The Commission's purpose was to provide for the conservation of whale stocks and the orderly development of the whaling industry. One of the steps taken was the establishment of commercial whaling quotas. Controversy, however, surrounded these quotas and the extent to which they were being honoured. In 1972, Canada banned commercial whaling and, in 1982, withdrew from this organization. However, Canada still provides harvest statistics and biological information to the IWC's scientific committee.
Whales in NWT waters are managed by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, with the following laws governing utilization: the Fisheries Act, the Beluga Protection Regulations, and the Cetacean Protection Regulations (which cover bowheads).
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