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ANCHORAGE - Researchers are individually cataloguing Cook Inlet's endangered beluga whales through photographs that show the animals' distinctive marks.

The photos document scars, shading and other distinguishing features.

Tamara McGuire, a wildlife biologist, discussed the process Saturday at a symposium hosted by Defenders of Wildlife.

McGuire was among more than a dozen experts on belugas who shared their knowledge at the event.

Among other speakers was a beluga hunter who has given it up for the good of the species and an Alaska Pacific University professor who is studying the whales' acoustic world.

Karla Dutton, Alaska director of Defenders of Wildlife, said the purpose of the event was to give people "a clearer picture in what is happening regarding the science and the research on beluga whales." The group has backed controversial protections for the animals.

Industrial groups often fear that an endangered species listing means all development will end, but that's not true, Dutton said.

"It is often just done in a more thoughtful manner that benefits everyone long term," she said.

Estimates put the Cook Inlet beluga population at about 375, compared with 1,300 animals in 1979.

No one knows exactly what is hurting the whales. Subsistence hunters once took large numbers. The hunts, however, have been regulated since 1999 and only five whales have been legally harvested since then. There is now a moratorium on hunts, at least through 2012.

State officials are considering a lawsuit over the listing. They say the federal government should have waited longer before declaring belugas endangered.

In the past four years, the number of Cook Inlet belugas has grown by about 100, according to Doug Vincent-Lang, the state's endangered species coordinator. Vincent-Lang attended the symposium but didn't give a presentation.

The population counts are just estimates and the trend is downward for the animals, said Brad Smith of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Possible threats to the whales include pollution, coastal development, strandings, predation and poaching, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The National Marine Fisheries Service should have a proposed designation of critical habitat for the belugas by April, Smith said.

Development isn't prohibited within areas of critical habitat. If federal agencies are involved, however, they must consult with the fisheries service about the work, Smith said.

Large projects that could be affected include an expansion of the Port of Anchorage, the proposed Knik Arm crossing and Anchorage's sewage treatment plant at Point Woronzof. The biggest threat is a proposed coal mine across Cook Inlet, said Bob Shavelson, executive director of Cook Inletkeeper.

Beluga research also was discussed at the conference.

The beluga photo project began in 2005 with an effort to learn whether individual whales could be identified through photos, said McGuire, of LGL Alaska Research Associates, an environmental consulting agency.

Researchers are now cataloging thousands of images of the whales. McGuire said 188 individual belugas have been identified so far, and researchers are still working on photos from last summer.