Killer whales trapped by ice in northern Quebec
Federal team of experts to arrive Thursday aiming to help the orcas
A dozen killer whales appear to be trapped about 30 kilometres off the coast of Inukjuak, Que., and the federal government is expected to send a team of experts to help save them.
Twelve orcas have been spotted in a small patch of open water, at the eastern top of Hudson Bay.
Peter Inukpuk, mayor of the small Inuit village, called on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to send out an icebreaker to help the whales.
He said the water froze later than usual this year, and it could be why the whales appear to be in trouble.
Martha Asudluak, 21, hitched a ride on a snowmobile Wednesday morning to go out to see them.
“I saw the big head popping out of the waters … I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” she said.
Asudluak says she feels blessed to have been able to see the whales, but she also wants them to be freed as soon as possible.
A spokesperson for the federal department said it’s not unusual for marine mammals to become trapped in ice.
The department is sending a team of experts, who are expected to arrive in Inukjuak on Thursday.
