Hunt for trapped belugas to get underway

Hunters from Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., travelled to Husky Lakes Friday to kill a group of beluga whales that failed to return to the Beaufort Sea before freeze-up.

The whales are trappedin the lakes east of theInuvialuit community. Theyoften feed in the lakes during the summer, but then they head back to the Arctic Ocean to join the fall migration to the Bering Sea.

It is expected the whales will die if left in the lakes because the hole where they come up for air will soon freeze over.

The hunters locatedthe air hole Friday morning and watched 10 to 15 whales coming up for air at one time.

Several scientists with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are accompanying the hunters to take samples from the whales to test for toxins and other contaminants.

The hunt could take up to two weeks, depending how many whales areunder the water.

Earlier this fall,between 100 to 200 whales were counted from the air.