Beluga whales exhibit seasonal shifts in distribution and habitat use within Cook Inlet, but they stay in the inlet throughout their lives. The summer range of Cook Inlet belugas has changed significantly since the s, contracting northward and eastward toward Anchorage in upper Cook Inlet. This puts a larger portion of the endangered population near the most densely populated area of the state during the busy summer season, when boating, construction, and other human activities all increase. Their adept use of sound is thus essential to communicate, locate prey, avoid predators, and navigate.
Cook Inlet is a naturally noisy environment because of its extreme tides and heavy silt load. Adding human sounds from ship traffic, construction projects, oil and gas activities, airports and other sources can make it more difficult for belugas to thrive.
Especially loud underwater sounds can kill marine mammals, but sublethal effects are more common, including injury or behavioral changes that range from mild e. Thus, assessing and managing the effects of human-caused noise is a major issue for the conservation and recovery of Cook Inlet beluga whales.
NOAA Fisheries formed a recovery team of scientists and stakeholders, including Alaska Native partners, the oil and gas industry, fishing group, environmental organizations, the state of Alaska, and other federal agencies to help develop a Cook Inlet beluga whale recovery plan.
We finalized the recovery plan PDF, pages in December The plan builds upon scientific studies, traditional knowledge, and other observations and information sources to identify gaps in our knowledge and the research needed to fill those gaps.
The recovery plan also identifies specific criteria that will signal the recovery of these animals. We developed a Species in the Spotlight — Priority Action Plan for the Cook Inlet beluga whale that builds on the recovery plan and the — action plan and details the focused efforts that are needed over the next 5 years.
In the first five years of Species in the Spotlight, we have taken important steps toward finding out more about what we can do to stabilize this species and prevent its further decline. Our accomplishments include:. The program proactively conducts beluga research and conservation activities many of which address priority actions identified in the 5-year action plan.
The program partners, collaborates, and assists with other programs towards the goal of recovering the endangered Cook Inlet Beluga whale. Learn more about Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's work. Over the previous two years, Sue Goodglick of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has become a crucial member of the multi-partner Cook Inlet beluga whale team. Sue is a wildlife biologist with Alaska's Marine Mammals Program.
She had been assisting with pinniped research and coordination until spring when a call went out for someone from the state to partner with us for the inaugural Belugas Count!
Learn more about Sue's work. This includes monitoring subsistence harvests and conducting abundance and distribution surveys. Additional management strategies and oversight are required for the endangered Cook Inlet population. The Cook Inlet beluga whale recovery plan builds upon both scientific studies and traditional knowledge from Alaska Natives. Read the recovery plan for Cook Inlet beluga whales. In , we convened a recovery team to aid in the development of a draft recovery plan for Cook Inlet beluga whales.
The recovery team was composed of two voluntary advisory groups: a science panel and a stakeholder panel. In , the recovery team provided a first draft of the recovery plan and the team disbanded. NOAA Fisheries solicited review and public comment on the draft recovery plan and released a final plan in December In an effort to promote recovery, the Cook Inlet Beluga Recovery Implementation Task Force includes three distinct committees which will focus on each of these general topics:.
The Committees provide guidance and recommendations for most effective recovery action implementation based on existing and new data and commercial information, as it becomes available, and help prioritize limited resources to make the most difference in achieving recovery. The focus is on short-term actions that can be completed in the next 2 to 5 years without losing sight of the importance of long-term projects and research.
Those areas may be designated as critical habitat through a rulemaking process. The designation of an area as critical habitat does not create a closed area, marine protected area, refuge, wilderness reserve, preservation, or other conservation area; nor does the designation affect land ownership. Federal agencies that undertake, fund, or permit activities that may affect these designated critical habitat areas are required to consult with NOAA Fisheries to ensure that their actions do not adversely modify or destroy designated critical habitat.
In , we designated two areas of Cook Inlet as critical habitat because they are essential for the beluga whales' survival.
These areas provide important feeding habitats and places where belugas can hide from their predators, killer whales. View the Cook Inlet beluga whale critical habitat designation. View the Cook Inlet beluga critical habitat map. Aerial view of beluga whales in the Chukchi Sea. Underwater noise threatens beluga whale populations, interrupting their normal behavior and driving them away from areas important to their survival.
Increasing evidence suggests that exposure to intense underwater sound in some settings may cause some whales to strand and ultimately die. NOAA Fisheries is investigating all aspects of acoustic communication and hearing in marine animals, as well as the effects of sound on whale behavior and hearing. In , we issued technical guidance for assessing the effects of anthropogenic human-caused sound on marine mammal hearing. In Cook Inlet, Alaska, we review permits for anthropogenic activities and suggest ways to decrease the amount of noise they create.
We also set in-water construction guidelines that outline which noise levels are harmful to beluga whales. We aim to develop a database to store information about underwater sound in Cook Inlet.
Learn more about ocean noise. We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings including all whales. When stranded animals are found dead, our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death. Although the cause often remains unknown, scientists can sometimes attribute strandings to disease, harmful algal blooms, vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, pollution exposure, and underwater noise.
Some strandings can serve as indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues that may also have implications for human health and welfare.
After the Cook Inlet beluga whale was listed as endangered in , we developed a Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Stranding Response Plan to address strandings of these critically endangered animals. Beluga whales have never been part of a declared unusual mortality event. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act , an unusual mortality event is defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response. Get information on active and past UMEs.
Get an overview of marine mammal UMEs. Cook Inlet beluga whales live near oil and gas exploration and production activities. Impacts from these activities include increased ship traffic, oil spills, pollution, seismic research, in-water noise, and habitat degradation. Alaska Natives hunt beluga whales for subsistence and traditional handicrafts.
Belugas are both a food source and a significant part of the cultural and spiritual basis of Native communities. Notably, past harvest practices have significantly impacted the Cook Inlet beluga whale population. Between and , Alaska Native hunters harvested five Cook Inlet beluga whales before it was suspended entirely.
NOAA Fisheries aims to increase public awareness and support for beluga conservation programs through education, outreach, and public participation. We regularly share information with the public about the status of belugas, as well as our research and efforts to promote their recovery. We also took steps to restrict subsistence harvest of Cook Inlet belugas.
Only five whales were harvested between and , and no subsistence harvest of this population has been allowed since In , we published a conservation plan for the Cook Inlet beluga whale. Belugas have ornately curved tail fins, broad, short flippers, and a soft, bulbous head. RANGE: Belugas have a circumpolar distribution, with about 30 separate populations occurring throughout the Arctic region.
The Cook Inlet population doesn't migrate and is separated from the other four populations by the Alaska Peninsula. However, instead of a large horn on its forehead, like the narwhal has, the beluga has a round bump called a melon. The melon is used to make many different communication sounds and facial expressions. It also aids in echolocation. Beluga whales are among the smallest species of whales. Adult males range from 13 to 20 feet 4 to 6.
Females are slightly smaller. Belugas have thick, muscular bodies that taper at both ends. Their round heads have a small beak, and their necks are narrower than other whales. Unlike other whales, their neck vertebrae are not fused, allowing them to move their heads up and down and from side to side, according to the American Cetacean Society. This allows them to swim under ice with ease. Their flippers are short and resemble paddles. Bonner, The habitat of beluga whales includes inlets, fjords, channels, bays, and the shallow waters of the artic seas that are warmed by continuous sunlight.
They are also found at the mouths of river during summertime, where they feed, socialize, and deliver their offspring. These waters are usually 8 to 10 degrees celsius. Paine, The beluga is also known as the white whale for its milky white skin.
It is the only species of whale that is entirely white, although it is born gray and fades gradually with age. These whales lack a dorsal fin, but have a shallow ridge along their back. Their appendages are narrower and pointier than that of the narwhal. Belugas also have a melon-shaped head, which is the center for echolocation. They are 3 to 5 meters and length and weigh an average of 1. Fifty percent of their weight is fat, a marked increase relative to other non-arctic whales, whose body is only twenty percent fat.
The blubber is 10cm thick in belugas. Belugas are sexually dimorphic, with the males being slightly larger than the females. Females average 1, kg and males 1, kg in weight. There is either thought to be spontaneous ovulation with an extremely long gestation period or delayed implantation with a shorter gestation period, but it is unknown. Their development is similar to that of most other mammals.
Lentifer Belugas tend to mate from late February to early April. The males chase down the females, making all sorts of noises. The male throws down his tail and bends violently, then he throws his head up and down as his melon vibrates to ward off any other males who might attempt to mate with this female. The male and female swim in harmony and caress each other, until she swims underneath his belly. She puts her belly up against his and they continue to swim in harmony with each other.
They mate only with absolute consent. Gestation lasts about fourteen months. However, it is a possibility that these creatures have delayed implantation. A calf is born during the summer months of May through July. The calf is very well developed and has a grayish coloration. The nursery pod stays around during the delivery and then all of them take off except a young teenage nursemaid. This usually happens near rivers because the water is ten degrees warmer there. This is important for the calf, which does not have as much blubber as a full grown adult.
The baby stays in-between the two females as they swim pulling him with the current. It takes 4 to 7 years for females to sexually mature, and it takes 7 to 9 years for males.
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