NOAA releases plan for endangered beluga whales

This Aug. 29, 2003 file photo shows one of two beluga whales that washed ashore on a beach south of Anchorage.

This Aug. 29, 2003 file photo shows one of two beluga whales that washed ashore on a beach south of Anchorage.

ANCHORAGE — A federal plan for the recovery of an endangered Alaska beluga whale calls for a reduction in threats of high concern while scientists try to pinpoint what has kept the population from growing.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday announced its recovery plan for Cook Inlet beluga whales, a population listed as endangered since 2008.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service acknowledges it does not know why the population hasn’t bounced back. In the absence of an answer, the agency will focus on research and potential threats, such as noise and the cumulative effects of “multiple stressors.”

“Until we know which threats are limiting this species’ recovery, the strategy of this recovery plan is to focus recovery efforts on threats identified as of medium or high relative concern,” the agency said.

The state of Alaska fought the endangered species listing of Cook Inlet belugas eight years ago and took issue with the recovery plan. Division of Wildlife Conservation director Bruce Dale in a statement said it contains untenable recovery criteria that will limit acceptance by interested parties and extend hurdles to development.

“The most critical action for recovering the Cook Inlet belugas will be to determine why the population isn’t growing,” Dale said. “The threats limiting recovery are unknown.”

A 1979 survey counted nearly 1,300 beluga whales. A 2014 survey estimated just 340 and a population continuing to trend downward.

The recovery plan calls for an upgrade to “threatened” status when the population reaches 520 animals and delisting when there are 780. Dale took issue with those targets.

“These demographic criteria are problematic because the number of animals in a population is not necessarily an indication of the risk of extinction,” Dale said. The plan includes threats-based recovery criteria that cannot be measured and are impossible to meet, he said.

Cook Inlet belugas are one of five beluga populations in U.S. waters. Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska and the fisheries service considers 1,300 animals to be its carrying capacity.

The whales turn white as adults and can reach 15 feet long. They feed on salmon, smaller fish, crab, shrimp, squid and clams and in late summer can be spotted from highways leading from Anchorage, chasing salmon schooled at stream mouths.

The Cook Inlet beluga population dwindled steadily through the 1980s and early ‘90s. The decline accelerated between 1994 and 1998 when Alaska Natives harvested nearly half the remaining 650 whales in only four years. Subsistence hunting ended in 1999.

Federal officials initially figured that controlling subsistence hunting would allow the population to recover. When it did not, they declared belugas endangered in 2008.

The agency identified 10 potential threats to belugas. Of highest concern are catastrophic events, such as natural disasters or oil spills; cumulative effects of multiple stressors; and noise.

Threats of medium concern include disease agents, such as blooms of harmful algae, loss of habitat, a reduction in prey and unauthorized killing.

Threats of relatively low concern include pollution, predation and subsistence hunting.

The agency estimated recovery could take at least 50 years, which translates into two generations of whales.

Karla Dutton, Alaska program director for Defenders of Wildlife, said the recovery plan was overdue but welcome.

“We call on National Marine Fisheries Service to properly fund in a timely manner the science needed to further understand and address these threats so we can work together to recover this iconic Cook Inlet species,” she said by email.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

The Norwegian Jewel begins its departure from Juneau on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, marking the official end of the annual cruise ship season. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Community support for cruise tourism continues slow decline in annual survey

29% say impacts generally positive, 13% negative; responses were 40% positive, 6% negative in 2002

Large cracks in the Mendenhall Glacier are observed by U.S. Forest Service officials on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (U.S. Forest Service photo)
‘A substantial portion of the Mendenhall Glacier is expected to collapse at any time’

Warning issued Tuesday morning by U.S. Forest Service after recent calving, large crack spotted.

A drone image shows widespread flooding in the Mendenhall Valley in Juneau on Aug. 6, 2024. The flood was from an outburst at Suicide Basin, part of the Mendenhall Glacier complex. A similar glacial outburst flood struck the same area in 2023. (Image courtesy of Rich Ross)
Bill would establish Alaska alternative to federal flood insurance program

The Alaska Legislature is considering a bill that would create a new… Continue reading

A girl uses her cellphone at Bronx High School of Science in New York on Jan. 11, 2016. (Yana Paskova for The New York Times)
Juneau School District seeks feedback from community on cellphone policy

The conversation rises from cellphone bans happening nationally and at the state level.

Juneau International Airport is getting new leadership in its administration and board of directors. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)
Assembly names two new airport board members in shakeup after budget stalemate

Angela Rodell and David Epstein, both former members, to get quick start at seeking solution this week.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Blank posts are seen where the two totem poles once stood at the Fred Meyer main entrance on Feb. 7, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Fred Meyer totem poles get a second chance at life

Tlingit master carver says they will be refurbished with tribal youth and repurposed.

Most Read