Beluga whale found dead on beach near Tracadie, P.E.I.

CBC
·1 min read
The dead beluga whale was spotted along the shore near Tracadie beach in P.E.I. late Sunday evening. (Google Maps - image credit)
The dead beluga whale was spotted along the shore near Tracadie beach in P.E.I. late Sunday evening. (Google Maps - image credit)

A beluga whale has been found dead on a beach on Prince Edward Island's North Shore.

The Marine Animal Response Society, or MARS, said a member of the public reported the sighting near Tracadie late Sunday evening.

The Nova Scotia-based MARS said it has been working with UPEI's Atlantic Veterinary College, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Parks Canada to secure the animal.

The beluga was found close to but not inside the boundaries of P.E.I. National Park.

The veterinary college said a small team is headed to the site Tuesday morning to attempt a necropsy and genetic testing to determine the whale's cause of death.

Tonya Wimmer of MARS says genetic testing will be done on the mammal to determine if it's from the endangered St. Lawrence Estuary population. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC News)

In an e-mail, Tonya Wimmer from MARS said the beluga may be from the endangered St. Lawrence Estuary population.

The estuary extends from the eastern tip of Île d'Orléans, just downstream from Quebec City, to the Atlantic Ocean and includes the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

A study in 2023 found that the protected beluga population in the estuary is higher than previously believed, but that the number of whales still isn't close to what it could be in ideal conditions.

The estuary is a feeding, breeding and calving ground for belugas, known for their white skin, round shape and smaller size.

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