Video of the orcas who are spyhopping and appear stressed was originally sent to CTV by Lisa Di Ciero. Clement Rousseau then uploaded the video to his Facebook page, in the hopes of getting the killer whales some help.
Rousseau said he posted Di Ciero's film, "hoping that the right person will see this video, a person that can help us to bring them back to the open water ..."
Now the activist community is putting pressure on Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), to step in and seek a solution. Reminiscent of the 1988 grey whale rescue in Point Barrow, Alaska, that was featured in the film Big Miracle, activists are using social media to urge Canada to take action.
News of the trapped whales reached CTV Montreal who said "Residents of Inukjuaq are concerned that there is not enough open water for the whales to swim out." How many orcas are trapped remains unknown, but estimates put the number somewhere between eight to 17 mammals.
According to CBC News, DPO officials haven't decided yet what to do about the orcas. Johnny P. Williams of Inukjuak told the station he visited the whales, and they seem desperate for air.
"It is difficult to go near the ice since the waves from the whales are making it impossible," he said in Inuktitut. "The breathing hole is getting smaller and smaller. Their whole body jumps up for air."
An airplane was dispatched to determine how far the whales were from open water. Williams reported, "the open ice is too far away for the whales to go on their own and only an icebreaker could help them out."
In 2005, six killer whales trapped by thick ice in Russian waters died exhausted and wounded after an attempt to break free. Strong winds blew in ice floes which trapped the whales in shallow waters in the Sea of Okhotsk. It is unclear how the current pod of whales became trapped.
Erin Cunliffe said that she has already called emergency fisheries of Canada and they have the information on the orcas. "All he could tell me," Cunliffe said, "was that they are doing something about it."
Activists are urging people to call DFO's emergency number to request they intercede on behalf of the orcas. They can be reached at (877)-722-5346.
Inukjuak is a northern village located on Hudson Bay at the mouth of the Innuksuak River in Nunavik. It is in the Nord-du-Québec region of northern Quebec, Canada.
Digital Journal has contacted DFO and we will update this story as it unfolds.
Update: Nathalie Letendre of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, told Digital Journal a short while ago that DFO is "aware of the situation and confirms that a pod of killer whales is trapped in ice near Inukjuak."
Letendre added, "a team of experts from DFO is working very closely with its partners in Nunavik to evaluate the situation. Situations where marine mammals are trapped by the ice are not unusual in the North."
Digital Journal asked DFO if this situation is not unusual in the North, would you say then that DFO does not think the situation critical at this point?
NL: By unusual, I mean that it is not the first time that marine mammals are stuck in the ice. DFO considers it important to be on site to evaluate the situation correctly. That’s why our experts are presently travelling in the direction of Inukjuak.
Digital Journal also asked how available immediate help is and whether DFO has the resources to rapidly respond and assist these whales if needed. DFO has not yet responded to the question.
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