Inuvik - Bowhead whales might be affected by a sonar scanning project which is being proposed for the Beaufort Sea.

On Nov. 21, representatives from Imperial Oil and other partners visited Ingamo Hall to discuss the proposed exploration.

Stacey Perilli of seismic exploration company WesternGeco explained the sonar process on Nov. 21. Imperial Oil and Exxon Mobil are planning to search for oil deposits under the Beaufort Sea.

The project is now in consultations, and might happen by August 2008.

Evan Birchard, a regulatory and environmental advisor to Imperial Oil, explained that a 78-metre-long vessel would navigate the Beaufort Sea towing six floating "sound source" modules on long cables.

These modules would send bursts of sound into the ocean, to create echoes and reveal underground oil deposits.

The only problem is the sound's effect on marine mammals such as bowhead whales.

Birchard said the animals sometimes flee areas with high noise, and said Imperial Oil wants to avoid this.

He said Imperial Oil would be hiring whale watchers to stand on the boat wearing binoculars and look for the animals. If a whale were seen, the sound modules would be silenced.

"These techniques are becoming more common in the marine seismic industry, and we intend to use them as well," he said.

Hank Rogers, of the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers, said he enjoyed the presentation.

"I think it's a good thing for people in Inuvik," he said. "It was informative and now we know what's going to happen."

He added that Inuvik has many Inuvialuit people who could be hired as whale monitors because of their traditional hunting experience

"Many of our members are whale hunters so they're already qualified," he said.

Roy Ipana, who is director of the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers, said he feared the process would scare whales into relocating somewhere else, and might also affect local beluga whales.

While Inuvialuit people do not traditionally eat bowheads, Ipana said he wanted absolute assurance the noise wouldn't cause them harm.

And with millions of dollars at stake - creating pressure for more exploration in a brief navigable window - he demanded assurance that whale monitors would be listened to.

"It's all in the chain link. All mammals, all animals, are important whether we eat them or not. Even the plankton, we're concerned about that. It's all in the food chain," he said.

Representatives from Imperial Oil, Inuvialuit Oilfield Services and other partners were also scheduled to visit Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok to discuss the proposed exploration project.