Almost 60,000 Beluga Whales Are Migrating & You Can Watch Them Live
The whales are coming into the Hudson Bay and you can watch from home.
Every summer, around 57,000 beluga whales make their way from the Arctic to the Churchill River in Manitoba. Not many people get to see this beautiful migration in person (and probably shouldn't so as not to disturb the whales).
You can, however, enjoy the event from a distance. The beluga whale live cam from Polar Bears International (PBI) and Explore.org returns for the season on July 15 in celebration of Arctic Sea Ice Day.
The project's underwater camera gives an up-close view of the playful sea creatures in the Hudson Bay as the camera's hydrophone captures beluga vocalizations. This year's stream will see the debut of upgraded equipment that will provide an enhanced viewing experience from the Delphi, the boat from which the stream originates.
Polar Bears International launches the camera on Arctic Sea Ice Day, as it has in the past, to "draw attention to the meltdown taking place in the Arctic, why it matters, and how we can reverse this trend," the organization previously said. Sea ice is crucial to the survival of belugas, polar bears, and humans.
"Sea ice disappearance is intertwined with the fate of polar bears, and the future of the planet," Krista Wright, executive director of Polar Bears International, said in 2020. "An appreciation and understanding of sea ice can help everyone connect deeper with the Arctic and take action. There is still time to stop this trend and preserve sea ice for future generations of polar bears and people."
In years past, the camera has operated through the start of September at the latest. So, start enjoying it now while the belugas are plentiful.