Inuvik (Aug 07/06) - Richard Binder holds a picture of a beluga whale he recently caught -- his skill as a hunter again rewarded with success.

"This picture was taken after we towed it to shore," he said. "I don't take pictures of the hunt itself. That's between me and the whale."

Indeed, Binder said he has much respect for the belugas, which he has hunted more than 30 years.

Belugas are beautiful animals, he said, adding it is sometimes difficult to throw a harpoon at one.

"You have to look at it as food on the table."

On July 29, Binder returned to Inuvik from his family's whaling camp near Whitefish Station, west of Tuktoyaktuk.

This year's hunt was very successful.

He helped catch four belugas and guesses there will be enough meat to feed his entire extended family for the winter.

Binder said the beluga hunt is a tradition which is enjoyed by everyone in his family.

They have returned to the same traditional camp every July for 25 years, he said. While belugas are peaceful animals, there is no denying their deaths are violent when hunted.

Binder explains they are caught with harpoons; a weapon no more complex than a spike on a wooden shaft.

While efforts are made to kill them quickly, Binder said it often takes several attempts before the animal dies.

Once a whale is killed, it is towed back to shore and cut up for preparation.

A beluga's skin can be stripped off like a banana peel, he said. Under that its muscles are covered by an oily coat of blubber, which can be several inches thick.

This blubber - called muktuk - is drained of oil and dried on a table overnight.

Richard's wife Olivia said the preparation of muktuk is also a family tradition.

She said she learned recipes and techniques for cooking beluga from her parents, who prepared it when she was a child.

"We don't get tired of eating it, because it is a delicacy," she said.

She jokingly added this is fortunate, since four whales mean a lot of meat.