Beluga whales are highly social and vocal marine mammals. They use acoustics to navigate, find prey, avoid predators and maintain group cohesion. For Alaska’s critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga population, these crucial communications may compete with a cacophony of noise from human activities. New research from the University of Washington, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fisheries […]
During the early morning hours on Sunday wildlife troopers were alerted to an aircraft crash by the Rescue Coordination Center. RCC told troopers that they had responded to the Beluga Lake area for an ELT activation to find an aircraft flipped on its roof. The aircraft, a Piper PA-18, was located flipped upside down on […]
Alaska’s largest one-day marine mammal educational event to celebrate 50th anniversary of Endangered Species Act. NOAA Fisheries and partners invite the public to celebrate the 5th Annual Belugas Count! and the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act on Saturday, September 23. Belugas Count! is a free, family-friendly educational celebration of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale. These white […]
New survey estimate and recent trend data suggest the population may be stable and possibly increasing slightly. This month, NOAA Fisheries announced an updated abundance estimate for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. Scientists estimated that the population size is between 290 and 386, with a median best estimate of 331. In 2018, scientists estimated that the […]
