The beluga whaling season began this week in Paulatuk, N.W.T., a month later than usual because of cool weather and lingering Arctic sea ice.

The subsistence whaling season in Paulatuk, located by Darnley Bay in the Amundsen Gulf, normally begins in early July and ends in mid-August.

But lingering sea ice has made it difficult for whalers to get out to their camps.

"Too much ice never go away for a long time. We've been having a cold, cold summer," longtime local whaler Jonah Nakamayak told CBC News, adding that they've noticed lots of winds coming from the north and west.

The first beluga of this season was harvested on Sunday. Brent Wolki and Ian Green harpooned the 4.3-metre whale after they chased it into shallow water.

The hunting pair then made a quick trip into the community before heading out again.

"We're just gonna get a few things from town here and go right back out," Wolki said Wednesday.

Some in the mostly Inuvialuit community of 300, which relies on beluga to last through the winter, say they wonder if the whalers can make up for lost time, or if this year's harvest will be smaller than usual.

Nakamayak said a good harvest for Paulatuk is about 30 belugas.

"I don't know that they will get as many as they normally get," he said.

"The time is important for whaling, like anything else, eh? It's getting late now."

Nakamayak said people in the community may have to trade their Arctic char for some belugas from Tuktoyuktuk, N.W.T., if their own harvest comes up short.