Belugas in Trouble

The Cook Inlet beluga whale population is in danger of disappearing, with only 300 of the marine mammals left in the population. The precipitous decline has prompted conservationists including the National Marine Fisheries Service to call for the group to be put on the Endangered Species List.

Belugas (above) are small as whales go, reaching lengths of 12 to 14 feet and weighing about 3,000 pounds. While calves are born a gray color, their skin eventually turns to a snowy white when they become adults. They are also known for their vast repertoire of vocal sounds and their ability to swivel their heads independent of their bodies, which they sometimes use to peer curiously at humans.

In an aquarium tank, “they’ll come and kind of cock their heads at you,” said Vicki Cornish of the non-profit Ocean Conservancy.

Belugas are found in Arctic waters all around the world, near Russia, Greenland and North America, and migrate with the seasonal sea ice. The beluga whales in Cook Inlet are a distinct population in that they don’t leave the area and mix with other belugas.

The first surveys of the Cook Inlet belugas in the 1970s found about 1,300 individuals, but since then, subsistence hunting by native Alaskans has dramatically decreased the population size. This harvesting stopped in the 1990s, but beluga populations haven’t recovered, mystifying conservationists.

“I think they’re having a hard time saying what’s contributing to the decline of the belugas,” Cornish told LiveScience.

Cornish added that increased development around the 39,000-square mile inlet is a likely culprit. Oil and gas exploration and development of ports is disturbing the whales’ habitat, and ships are creating noise pollution that can interfere with the whales' ability to find food and each other.

“There’s a fair amount of activity that the belugas are being confronted with,” Cornish said.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has listed the whales as “depleted,” and is currently reviewing their status to consider putting them on the Endangered Species List, Cornish said.

“We hope that decision will be made as soon as possible,” she said.

—Andrea Thompson

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Credit: Fernando Rodrigues/ECHO Vermont