Belugas start heading out to sea

Although there are still about 100 belugas left in a string of lakes east of Tuktoyaktuk, the whales seem to be heading toward the Beaufort Sea, a Fisheries and Oceans official says.

Most of the 30,000 belugasthat spend the summers in theBeaufort Sea area have already started their fall migration toward Russia.

Several weeks ago, the department became concernedthat several hundred, which had stayed behind in Husky Lakes, would be frozen in for the winter.

But flightsover the lakes late last week revealedfewer whales than the week before.

"Each time we've done a flight, they've been closer and closer to the exit of the system," said Fisheries and Oceans official Andrea Cyr.

"Not every single whale but the clustering is getting closer and closer to the exit of the system."

Paul Voudrach, ofthe local Hunters and Trappers Committee, said they've been hoping the whales will leave on their own.

"We don't like to see whales in Husky Lakes after freeze-up because we've had previous circumstances that led us to destroy the whales," said Voudrach.

The department will take another flight this week to check on the whales.