Beluga Whale Blubber Contaminants and Body Condition in St. Lawrence Estuary
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Description
51 beluga whale carcasses from the St. Lawrence Estuary, sampled between 1998 and 2016, provide data on body condition, cause of death, and concentrations of organohalogen contaminants and lipid metabolites. The dataset was created to study relationships between contaminant exposure and the energy metabolism of this endangered population. It includes morphometric measurements, sex, age, a body condition index, and concentrations of flame retardants, PCBs, and pesticides.
Use Cases
Analyze correlations between body condition index and concentrations of polybrominated flame retardants or PCBs across 51 beluga specimens.
Model the relationship between the relative proportion of lipids in blubber and the measured levels of organochlorine pesticides.
Investigate differences in contaminant concentrations, such as fatty acids or acylcarnitines, by sex, age, or cause of death categories.
Assess temporal trends in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations using the 1998-2016 sampling period for stranded belugas.
Strengths
Data is derived from 51 beluga carcasses with detailed laboratory necropsy and chemical analysis.
Covers an 18-year time range (1998-2016) for the St. Lawrence Estuary population.
Includes multiple contaminant classes (flame retardants, PCBs, pesticides) and lipid metabolites like fatty acids and sphingomyelins.
Data quality procedures included triplicate analyses of method blanks and standard reference material.
Limitations
Small sample size of 51 individuals limits statistical power for subgroup analyses.
Data is restricted to stranded carcasses deemed fresh enough, which may introduce a bias towards certain causes or times of death.
Temporal coverage ends in 2016, so data may not reflect recent contaminant levels.
Provenance
Source
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, based on research published in Bernier-Graveline et al. (2021).
Collection Method
Laboratory necropsy and chemical analysis of blubber samples from stranded beluga carcasses.
Time Range
1998 to 2016
Freshness
Dataset metadata was last updated in March 2026, though the underlying sample collection ended in 2016.
Geography
St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada
Primary data file is in CSV format, but author contact information is in a separate PDF file. License is the Open Government Licence - Canada (ca-ogl-lgo).