Pathology of cetaceans. A case study: Beluga from the St. Lawrence estuary

The St. Lawrence River estuary, Quebec, Canada (Figure 13.1), is the major effluent of one of the most industrialized regions of the world. It is inhabited by the southernmost population of beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), a population unique by its accessibility to investigation, and by its geographical isolation from the Arctic habitat of other populations of beluga. The St. Lawrence River estuary (SLE) beluga population has dwindled from an

Figure 13.1 The Saint Lawrence estuary. Beluga habitat (shadowed area); eastern Canada, Quebec province (inset).