| Summary: | Unprecedented rates of climate change in the Arctic may be altering Arctic marine ecology. One species of particular interest is the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), because of its importance to the subsistence and culture of the Inuit and for the insights beluga provide in regards to ecosystem health. The use of Inuit Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in marine mammal ecology and management has been growing in recent decades. Our research focuses on two populations, which have been slow to recover following commercial hunting one century ago, and continuing subsistence harvesting. Methods: Inuit TEK about beluga was collected from hunters and elders to increase the understanding of ecological factors influencing habitat use. Twenty-nine semi-directive interviews following an ethnocartographic format were conducted in three Nunavik communities (Quaqtaq, Kangiqsualujjuaq and Kuujjuaraapik) in the winter of 2009. Following from the work conducted to date, additional interviews were conducted in Ivujivik in March 2010. Topics covered in interviews included: migration, feeding, breeding, calving and changes in body condition with a particular focus on any changes in these aspects.
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