Video: Call for help as 12 killer whales stranded in ice in Quebec

A small fishing village in Quebec has called for help from Canada's government after a dozen killer whales became trapped in a huge stretch of ice inside Hudson Bay.

According to the locals of Inukjuak, 900 miles north of Montreal, have said the whales are breathing through a hole in the ice that appeared to be shrinking as the ice froze further.

The 12 orcas were spotted by local hunter on Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, Peter Inukpuk, major of the remote inuit village, called on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to help free the whales.

He told CBC: "It's only been two days that the bay froze up. It's not thick, thick as in previous years. I am sure an icebreaker could come up and open a route for them.

"We are not equipped to give assistance to those killer whales. We would need outside help to get them to safety."

He said it is clear the whales are in trouble, adding: "It appears from time to time that they panic. Other times they are gone for a long time, probably looking for another open space, which they are not able to find."

Dozens of villagers have made the one-hour snowmobile journey to see the whales. Inukjuak's public safety officer said the whales should not even be in the area in January.

According to the BBC, Simeonie Nalukturuk said: "We've only seen those kind of whales in the summer time, never in the winter time."

Whale expert Christian Ramp, a researcher with the Quebec-based Mingan Island Cetacean Study, said it could be the first sighting of killer whales in the Canadian Arctic in January.

He said climate change possibly means the animals are straying further and further north - and perhaps, staying too long: "It seems the ice dynamics are changing very quickly. Suddenly a huge expanse of open water is clogged up, and they miss the chance to get to open water.

"The risk is that the hole freezes up, and they basically just drown."

The DFO has said it is evaluating the situation, and a team of experts are expected to arrive in the village on Thursday.

Spokeswoman for the DFO, Nathalie Letendre, said that sending in an ice-breaker could be one option, but that it is expensive and logistically difficult: "Presently, the icebreakers are really busy with the ice conditions that we have in other regions of our country.In the Quebec region, the icebreakers are working on the Saint Lawrence River. Just this week, three commercial ships were stuck in the ice in the Matane area."

According to the Daily Telegraph, Frank Stanek said in an official DFO statement: "Fisheries and Oceans Canada is assessing the situation and are exploring every possible option, but will only be in a position to determine what - if anything - can be done once our specialists arrive on site."

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