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New high-tech boat to track 57,000 belugas as Arctic sea ice vanishes [1]

['Ellsworth Toohey']

Date: 2025-07-11

Polar Bears International is launching a new high-tech boat to study 57,000 beluga whales during their annual migration through Hudson Bay this summer.

The boat, equipped with above- and below-water cameras and hydrophone audio capabilities, will begin operating on Arctic Sea Ice Day, July 15th. It supports the Beluga Bits Citizen Science Project, which has engaged over 34,000 volunteers in classifying nearly one million beluga photos to help researchers study these elusive arctic mammals.

The timing is critical. Arctic sea ice, essential for both belugas and polar bears, is disappearing at an alarming rate – 12.2% per decade according to NASA. This year, Western Hudson Bay's ice cover has already nearly vanished, forcing GPS-tracked polar bears to head to shore earlier than usual. While on land, these bears lose about 2.2 pounds per day since they can't hunt effectively without sea ice.

"Sea ice is essential for polar bears, belugas, and ultimately, all of us. It forms the foundation of the Arctic ecosystem and regulates Earth's climate," says Krista Wright, Polar Bears International Executive Director, as quoted in the announcement.

Dr. Flavio Lehner, Chief Climate Scientist at Polar Bears International, adds: "These shifts are part of a larger, long-term pattern – but the good news is we still have time to act. We need bold, system-wide changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, from local communities to global leadership. Every fraction of a degree we prevent through climate action makes a real difference, for the Arctic and for us all."

Previously:

• Beluga whale imitating human speech

• A wayward narwhal got adopted by a pod of beluga whales

• Mermaid or beluga whale?

• Mariachis serenade beluga whale

• Aquarium worker posts nothing but beluga feeding videos, and I'm obsessed

• Man unexpectedly summons Beluga whales by singing, and they sing back

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/07/11/new-high-tech-boat-to-track-57000-belugas-as-arctic-sea-ice-vanishes.html

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