The Ontario Government s Response Statement to the BELUGA. Management Plan. ontario.ca/mnr

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1 ontario.ca/mnr The Ontario Government s Response Statement to the BELUGA Management Plan

2 The Ontario Government s Response Statement to the BELUGA Management Plan Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) The Beluga (Delpinapterus leucas) is a medium-sized toothed whale that migrates annually from its wintering grounds in the Hudson Strait and elsewhere in eastern Arctic Canada into Hudson Bay. The adults are pure white in colour ( Beluga means the white one in Russian), while the calves are grey at birth becoming whiter as they approach sexual maturity. Most of Ontario s Beluga population is identified as belonging to the Western Hudson Bay Population which also occurs in as Manitoba, Quebec and Nunavut. River estuaries in Ontario are very important summer habitat for Beluga. The whales rely on estuaries for a number of habitat functions which may include foraging, moulting and nursery habitat, thermal advantage and protection from predators. Special Concern in Ontario The protection and management of species of special concern is a key part of protecting Ontario s biodiversity. Biodiversity the variety of life on Earth provides us with clean air and water, food, fibre, medicine and other resources that we need to survive. The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) is the Government of Ontario s legislative commitment to protecting and managing species of special concern and their habitats. A species is classified as special concern if it lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. Government Response Statements The management plan for Beluga was completed on June 28, 2013 and can be found at ontario.ca/speciesatrisk. Management plans are prepared for the Government of Ontario based on the current scientific knowledge for each species and identify approaches for the management of species of special concern. This response statement is the government s policy response (subsection 12 (5) of the ESA) to the possible actions identified in the management plan. The response statement summarizes the actions that the Government of Ontario intends to take in response to the management plan and the government priorities in taking those actions. The response also reflects the best available knowledge at this time and may be modified if new information becomes available. Moving Forward to Protect and Manage Beluga The Beluga is listed as a species of special concern under the ESA. Belugas are found throughout the coastal waters of Hudson Bay and James Bay. They appear to prefer shallow coastal areas and river mouths. Behavioural and telemetry studies of Belugas at estuaries revealed that they are philopatric, returning to the site of their own birth with high site 2

3 fidelity. Beluga can be very vulnerable to predation under certain environmental conditions. The main predators of Beluga are Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) and Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus). They are particularly vulnerable to Polar Bear predation when they become entrapped in ice or stranded along shorelines at high tide. The Western Hudson Bay Population faces a number of potential and growing threats, including harvest elsewhere in its annual range, increased industrial development, natural resource exploration and shipping activity, increases in ambient noise, climate change and pollution. The majority of the range of this Beluga population is outside of Ontario. It includes several jurisdictions and management agencies and, therefore, collaboration is critical to the effective management of the population. MANAGEMENT GOAL The Government of Ontario s goal for the management of Beluga is to ensure that its population levels in Ontario are maintained or improved. MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS Protecting and recovering species at risk is a shared responsibility. No single agency or organization has the knowledge, authority or financial resources to protect and recover all of Ontario s species at risk. Successful recovery requires inter-governmental co-operation and the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities. In developing the government response statement, the Ministry considered what actions are feasible for the government to lead directly and what actions are feasible for the government to support its conservation partners to undertake. Government-led actions are those that the government will directly undertake to protect and manage the species. Governmentsupported actions are those that are endorsed by the government as being necessary for the protection and management of the species. Support for conservation agencies, municipalities, industry partners and Aboriginal communities to undertake actions will be provided where appropriate through funding, and advisory services. FOCUS AREA: Protection Objective Identify and protect high-value Beluga habitat, and obtain additional knowledge on Beluga use of Ontario rivers, estuaries and adjacent coastline. z Continue to implement protection for species of special concern and their habitat through Provincial Park management planning process. z Continue to work jointly with First Nations to develop community based land use plans in the Far North of Ontario. In working together, First Nations and Ontario will identify community and broad-scale interests that reflect the complex nature of the ecology, culture and economics of the Far North. Wildlife, including Beluga and questions of cumulative impacts and conservation of important Beluga summer estuarine habitat in Ontario will be considered in the planning process. z Work cooperatively with other governments and co-management agencies regarding the protection of portions of important estuarine summer habitat outside of Ontario s jurisdictions. 3

4 z Collaborate with DFO, other management and co-management agencies regarding monitoring, research and management of Beluga. z Encourage planning and environmental authorities to consider the conservation of Beluga in management planning and decision making. z Ensure that potential implications to Beluga habitat are considered during the review of natural resource development and industrial projects. GOVERNMENT-SUPPORTED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS Support Ontario-specific research in order to evaluate habitat conservation needs (e.g., movements, diet, habitat characteristics). Priority: LOW FOCUS AREA: Inventory and Monitoring Objective Increase understanding of Beluga distribution, abundance, habitat, harvest, trends and status. z Encourage the submission of Beluga data to the Ministry s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre. GOVERNMENT-SUPPORTED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS 1. Develop an ongoing reporting program with Aboriginal communities and groups to document and report sightings and distribution of Beluga. 2. Monitor trends in population distributions and abundance using standard protocols through collaboration with other jurisdictions. 3. Work with First Nations to compile aboriginal traditional knowledge on the distribution, abundance, habitat, harvest, trends and status of Beluga in Ontario. FOCUS AREA: Awareness Objective Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario. 4. Support efforts to increase awareness of the presence of Beluga in Ontario and the identification of conservation needs. Priority: LOW 4

5 IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund and the Species at Risk Research Fund for Ontario. Conservation partners are encouraged to discuss project proposals related to the actions in this response statement with the Ministry of Natural Resources. Implementation of the actions may be subject to changing priorities across the multitude of species at risk, available resources and the capacity of partners to undertake recovery activities. Where appropriate, the implementation of actions for multiple species will be co-ordinated across government response statements. Acknowledgement We would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the Management Plan for Beluga (Delpinapterus leucas) in Ontario for their dedication to protecting and managing species of special concern. For additional information: Visit the Species at Risk website at ontario.ca/speciesatrisk Contact your MNR district office Contact the Natural Resources Information Centre TTY ontario.ca/mnr COVER PHOTO CREDIT: Allen Woodliffe, (Retired) Area Biologist, Ministry of Natural Resources 5