Jaclyn Aubin uses drones with a live video feed to record beluga groups from the air (Gundula Friese)
It’s the break of dawn in Quebec’s Baie Sainte-Marguerite, and Memorial University graduate student Jaclyn Aubin is powering up her video drone.
Her goal? To film groups of belugas from above, and study how they take care of their young.
They’re swimming around in this very, very noisy environment.- Jaclyn Aubin
Worldwide, belugas are classified as a “least concern” species. However, Aubin said, in the St. Lawrence River system the population is endangered and doing “very poorly.”
Hunting, noise pollution and decreasing water quality over the last century have all contributed to the decline.
“We’re talking about a population that
This story was originally published on CBC News. To read the rest of this news worthy story, please visit https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/babysitting-belugas-for-conservation-1.4779013?cmp=rss.