Researchers have tracked hunting pattern of beluga whales for the first time, thanks to an advanced tagging technology. A study featured in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series revealed that two distinct beluga whale populations dive upward of 900 meters in an attempt to search for Arctic cod.

The researchers at the University of Washington used advanced tagging technology to discover the foraging route of the marine mammals. They collected and analyzed data on 30 beluga whales in the Arctic over last one and half decades. According to researchers, they found that the two species of the whale spend a long time in the Bering Sea during winters and then head towards the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

When the beluga whale reaches its summer habitat, it dives about 900 meters in order to find food for its family. During most of the dives, the whale travels just 30% of that distance. The study also suggested that the whale not only hunts for food along the seafloor, but it also searches along sloping grounds.

The new data could help researchers know more about both beluga populations, said Donna Hauser, a doctoral student at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and lead author of the study.

She also said that further research is required to know about the species and its behavior while cruising to different sea conditions.

“The results of this work can be used not only to understand ecological relationships for Arctic top predators but also inform the management of beluga whales, which are an important subsistence resource for northern communities”, said Kristin Laidre, a UW assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences and co-author of the study.