Nunavik beluga stocks in bad shape, DFO says

Inuit in northern Quebec and federal fisheries officials are trying to hammer out just how many beluga whales can be caught this year.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says the beluga stocks are decreasing quickly in Nunavik, and drastic measures must be taken to stabilize the population.

The department says if hunting practices don't change now, beluga stocks on the Eastern Hudson Coast could be wiped out in five years.

Christian Rouleau of D.F.O. says his department plans to make the Ungava Bay a restricted whale hunting zone. He says there may be only 200 beluga's left in the Bay

Some local mayors at the meeting say D.F.O. appears to have come to the table with a predetermined management plan.

They say the department needs a better system of counting whales.