Cook Inlet Belugas

Cook Inlet beluga whale depletion

In the late 70’s, their numbers hovered around 1,300, now Cook Inlet (CI) belugas struggle to break the 300 count. In the 1990s, federal biologists reacted to the beluga depletion by urging native groups to reduce their Cook Inlet beluga harvest. By 2000, the genetically isolated whales were listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the native hunters were federally mandated to limit their beluga take to 1-2 animals per year. Five years later, CI belugas are showing no obvious trend towards recovery.

Here are some points to consider:

• The beluga whale sits high in the food chain, and it’s the “canary in the coal mine” for determining the health of the Cook Inlet ecosystem.  Alaska is a special place, and if we cannot protect the beluga whale from extinction in Anchorage’s backyard, what can we protect?
• While local politicians are spending tax payer dollars to fight the beluga listing, they have refused to fund the basic research over the years needed to understand the beluga and its habitat.
• NMFS surveys and science show this isolated stock does not breed with the other four beluga stocks in Alaska, and it is a “discrete population segment” requiring ESA protections.
• Despite the emotional rhetoric espoused by listing opponents, various studies by MIT and other researchers show the ESA does not curtail responsible economic development.
• Scare tactics to suggest commercial and other fishing in Cook Inlet will be harmed by listing the beluga are groundless because studies show few conflicts between whales and fishing activities.
• Despite sharp controls on Native subsistence harvests, the beluga population has failed to rebound as predicted, and pollution, noise and habitat loss remain threats to the whale.
• NMFS historically has been under-funded for its beluga whale work, and it needs adequate funding for the consultations and critical habitat designation required by the ESA.