[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2459-E2460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     JOHN G. SHEDD AQUARIUM CELEBRATES THE BIRTH OF A BELUGA WHALE

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the 
John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago as they celebrate the birth of a 
beluga whale. On August 3rd, a 4-foot-6-inch female calf was born 
weighing approximately 115 pounds. This is the first calf for Immiayuk, 
a 13-year-old beluga whale who has been in Shedd Aquarium's care since 
1989.
  Immiayuk is a first-time mother, and less than half of the calves 
born to those mothers, either in captivity or in the wild, are able to 
survive their first year. The new beluga has cleared many of the first 
hurdles, by swimming, diving and nursing with her mother. Shedd 
visitors will be able to see the calf in an underwater viewing area in 
late September. A contest to name the calf will be held for children 
ages 8 to 13.
  The belugas reside in the Shedd's Oceanarium, a re-creation of the 
Pacific Northwest. Throughout the Oceanarium, large underwater viewing 
windows give Shedd visitors the opportunity to see the animals from the 
vantage point of their environment. Whales, dolphins, sea otters, 
harbor seals and penguins are some of the marine life on display.

[[Page E2460]]

  The birth of the beluga is a milestone for the Shedd because the 
Oceanarium was built for the purpose of breeding marine mammals. The 
knowledge gained from the birth will provide Shedd staff with a better 
understanding of belugas and in turn that information will be used to 
help educate the public and contribute to the conservation of wild 
populations.
  The birth of the beluga also is significant to the general beluga 
population as the National Marine Fisheries Service plans to list the 
beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet as a depleted population. The 1998 
Cook Inlet beluga census, counted 347. In 1994, about 675 belugas were 
counted; it is believed that 1,000 whales were in the inlet in 1980.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the John G. Shedd 
Aquarium on the successful birth and continued health of Immiayuk's 
beluga calf.

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