What's happening to baby belugas? Quebec study aims to find out

Beluga whale females and calves have been washing up on the shores of the St. Lawrence River at alarming rates for more than a decade, and scientists don't know why.

But a group of researchers in Quebec has been offered a two-yeargrant to get to the bottom of the endangeredcetaceans' unexplained mortality rate.

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is providing $150,000 to the Quebec-based Group forResearchandEducationon Marine Mammals (GREMM) to crack the case.

To carry out the study, GREMM has set up the Beluga Whale Health Project. It will measure the midsections of female belugasat the end of breeding season, which is inlatewinter and early spring.

The aim is to determine whether the belugas are gainingenough weight, and have enough energy,to complete their demanding reproduction cycle.

"With this project, we willalso measure the proportion of females who are pregnant," saidRobert Michaud, scientific director of GREMM, which is located in Tadoussac, Que.

Themeasurementswill be made with adrone that takes high-definition photos from above, allowing researchers to monitor the health of individual animals.

The increase in whale deaths in the St. Lawrence is especially noticeable duringthe breeding season,Michaud said.

One hypothesis is that beluga females are lagging in energy and failingto find food.

"To stay in good shape and thrive,they must be strong and well fed," Michaud said. "We suspect there may be a problem there. We want to check."

This research angle, he added, could help better identify the beluga's challenges and needs.

By bringing all the datatogether from research projects like this one, he said, "we hope it will help us better understand and protect belugas."