Grant: Whale Science for Tomorrow

The endangered St. Lawrence Estuary beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) inhabits a marine ecosystem greatlyimpacted by upstream anthropogenic activities. This small population of around 900 individuals has not shownany sign of recovery in the past decades. An increase in the number of post-partum females and calvesmortality has even been observed in recent years. The high contaminant exposure of belugas was suggested asone important threat to the health of belugas and the recovery of this population. Understanding the exposure ofbelugas to known and new contaminants as well as their possible exposure-related effects are key elements toensure the conservation of this southernmost beluga population. This project will contribute to dress a globalpicture of the concentrations, trophic transfer and distribution of contaminants of priority concern in tissues ofbelugas. A general screening of all chemicals found in tissues will also be developed and analyzed to identifyany new substances of interest using innovative non-targeted methods. Innovative new proteomic andtranscriptomic techniques will be used to determine biological pathways that may be impacted by exposure toenvironmental contaminants in addition to a series of targeted health variables. Relationships betweencontaminant concentrations and biological endpoints will also be conducted in order to better understand thepotential effects of the chemical exposure. In vitro testing and modelling will complete this research to evaluatebiological effects of contaminants in beluga. Results generated from this project will help fill criticalknowledge gaps on environmental contaminants and their potential effects in the SLE beluga population. Theinformation will support the decision-making, management and conservation strategies of this unique belugawhale population. The multi-disciplinary and diversified expert team will be training the next generation ofmarine mammal and environmental toxicology specialists.