Kingsley: Number and distribution of Delphlnapterus leucas, in James, Hudson, and Ungava Bays, Canada 



741 



Table T 



Sizes of beluga whale groups sighted on transect survey flights in James Bay, eastern Hudson Bay, and Ungava Bay, during the 

 summer of 1993. CHM = contraharmonic mean, i.e. the size of the group containing the average beluga. 



' These transect-survey sightings were outside the designed survey strip. No sightings were made within the strip. 

 •-' These statistics are for all 12 sightings in Ungava Bay, including coastal reconnaissance flights, and for both surveys. 



Error coefficients of variation (ECV) ranged 

 from 25% for James Bay to 86% for the 

 northern stratum of widely spaced transects in 

 eastern Hudson Bay, where the estimate was 

 based on 10.5 sightings made on 2.5 transects 

 (Table 3). The ECV of the overall estimate 

 was 23%. The use of a common sighting curve 

 reduced the estimated standard errors for 

 individual strata. Uncertainty in k composed 

 only 2% and 20% of the error variances for the 

 two Hudson Bay strata, but 32% of the overall 

 error variance. 



On the coastal survey of eastern Hudson 

 Bay, 13 groups of beluga whales were seen, dis- 

 tributed from the northern end of the offshore 

 chain of islands to south of the Great Wliale 

 River (Fig. 6). The total number of individuals 

 was 115-148. One large group — 70 to 100 indi- 

 viduals — was seen, close to the Manitounuk 

 Islands.'' A few beluga whales were seen in the 

 Great Whale and Little Wliale rivers. 



Observers on land at the Little Whale River 

 saw beluga whales on 14 of the 22 observation 

 days. The mean daily maximum count for 

 days on which the whales were seen was 40.4 

 individuals (range 5-130). At the Nastapoca 

 River, beluga whales were present on 7 of 13 

 observation days, and the mean daily maximum 

 was 23.3 (1-53). Even on days when they were 

 seen, beluga whales were not continuously pres- 

 ent: at the Little Whale River; none were seen 

 on 45%' of scans made on days when they were 

 seen at least once, and at the Nastapoca, River, 

 54% of scans on such days showed no sightings. 



The first aerial sur\'ey in Ungava Bay was 

 flown on 15-19 July, 1993. It was limited by 

 dense pack ice that remained in the central 

 and northern part of the bay, heavy enough 



83 



82 



81 



80 



79 



78 W 



Figure 5 



Beluga whale sightings on line-transect aerial survey of (A) James 

 Bay and (B) eastern Hudson Bay, in August 1993 



^ Doidge, D. W. 1993. Coastal reconnaissance survey for belu- 

 gas in eastern Hudson Bay, August 21, 1993. Report prepared 



for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, 104, rue Dalhousie. 

 Quebec P.Q. GIK 4B8, Canada by Makivik Corp., C.P. 179, Kuu- 

 jjuaq, P.Q. JOM ICO Canada, 8 p. 



