Ottawa strengthens protections for beluga whales in St. Lawrence Estuary

The federal government istaking steps to strengthen itsprotection of the vulnerable beluga population in the St. Lawrence Estuary.

Any human activities carried out in their habitat will require authorization before going aheadunder a special decree, known as aCritical Habitat Order, signed byFederal Fisheries MinisterHunter Tootoo.

"Our government is taking action to protect species at risk and ensureour ecosystems remain healthy for current and future generations," Tootoo said in a statement.

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The St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whale population is already listed as threatened and protected under theSpecies at Risk Act.

'Laws are as good as we make them'

Robert Michaud, a beluga expert andco-ordinator Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network, praised themove.

But he said it's not yet clear how powerful the order will be in preventing development in beluga breeding grounds.

"It is a tool to force us to evaluate the cumulative impact of all of these projects," he said.

"The laws are as good as we make them. We have to test them, and the near future in the St.Lawrence is going to be a good benchmark to test this law, because there are several projects that are ongoing."

Last April,TransCanadaannouncedit would not build a port for its proposed Energy East pipelineinCacouna, Que., after months of protests from environmentalists concerned about a breeding ground for beluga whales.

Other speciesreceiving protectionare the North Atlantic right whale,nooksackdace, northernmadtom, and four populations of white sturgeon.

The new order focuses on specific geographic locationsessential for the survival of thosespecies, such as wheretheygivebirth orhatch, feed or raise their young.

The publicwill have 30 days to comment before the orders are enacted.

'Dramatic' population decline

Before 1885, there were as many as 10,000 belugas in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf, according toFisheries and Oceans Canada.

In the 1980s, when regular monitoring began, the population was estimated to be around 1,000 individual whales.

A slow decline has been observed since the early 2000s, with a population size estimated at 900 belugawhales in 2012.

A number of factors seem to contribute to the decline of this species in the St. Lawrence, includingpollution, reduced food resources, disturbance by humans and habitat degradation.

Beluga whales can also fall victim to ship strikes and become entangled in fishing gear.

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Michaudsaidthe situation is"pretty dramatic with the St. Lawrence beluga, and they need all the help they can get from us."