Every summer since 1986, we have been spending hundreds of hours at sea among the belugas. Using natural markings and distinctive scars, we have learned to recognize over 200 individuals. Observation files on these animals are the basis upon which we are slowly re-constructing the story of the St. Lawrence beluga. We are following their movements, observing their habits, and listening to their songs and echoes to better understand their way of life and their needs. Work at sea is but a small part of our job. Back at the research station a truly tedious task begins. Every summer we bring back almost 200 rolls of film of our encounters with the belugas. These have to be processed and then examined with a magnifying glass to select animals that are identifiable. Thousands of negatives are earmarked for printing, representing from 800 to 1000 "captures": a trade word for a series of snapshots taken of the same individual during a single encounter. Each season's captures are compared amongst themselves and then checked with the family album containing known animals in an attempt to identify every beluga encountered in the field. We currently estimate that at least 20% of all St. Lawrence belugas are recognizable. Some are "captured" many times each summer, while others remain more elusive. In 1994, a new twist was added to the protocol. Using a small stainless steel dart fired from a crossbow, we are able to collect a few milligrams of skin and blubber from the backs of selected animals. We are thus able to obtain invaluable tissue samples from live animals without the need to capture or restrain them. DNA is extracted from these biopsies and used for gender identification and genetic studies, including possibly describing the lineage of members of individual pods. So far, we have collected samples from 93 live belugas, of which 76 are males and 17 are females. Thorough analysis of the photographic archives has been completed for the period 1985-96. Photos taken in 1997 are currently being examined very closely, while the rolls of film exposed last summer have just been processed. The following section summarizes what we have learned about the belugas in our family album. Work underway might provide answers to some puzzling questions and even uncover new relationships. A segregated society!Since 1985, surveys and patrols of the summer range of the beluga have clearly shown that there are different social groups using distinct sectors of the Estuary. The Upper Estuary, a zone upstream from the mouth of the Saguenay where fresh water and salt water meet, is mostly used by pods of adults accompanied by young and very young animals. We believe these are adult females with their own young. The Lower Estuary, a colder and more marine area downstream of the Saguenay mouth, is the regular haunt of large groups of adults, presumably males. Between these two zones, around the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord, is a central area where all kinds of social groups are seen and where one may sometimes observe impressive herds of up to 200 belugas. This type of segregation between males and females with young was confirmed by a broad scan of the photographic archives. By following up on every member of the family album, we have learned some of the basic rules of the social life of a beluga.
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