Beluga whales are found in seasonally ice-covered waters throughout arctic and sub-arctic regions. Five stocks are recognized in U.S. waters off Alaska, including one that is found almost exclusively in Cook Inlet.
The Cook Inlet beluga whale stock was estimated to number about 1,300 animals at the time the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted in 1972, but it declined sharply in the 1990’s. Between 1994 and 1998, the stock declined by approximately 50 percent due largely to unsustainable subsistence harvesting. It was assumed that once hunting was controlled in 1999, the population would begin to recover. However, the stock has continued to decline at a rate of between a 0.6-1.3 percent annually. The National Marine Fisheries Service listed the Cook Inlet beluga whale population as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2006. Because the population, on average, has remained below 350 whales since then, no subsistence harvesting has been allowed under the applicable regulations. The most recent abundance estimate, from 2012, is that the population numbers 312 animals. An updated abundance estimate, based on surveys conducted in June 2014, is expected to be released by the National Marine Fisheries Service early in 2015. The underlying growth rate of this population remains low and there are concerns about whether this population will be able to recover.
Two areas within Cook Inlet have been designated as critical habitat. These areas include all waters in the upper inlet, nearshore areas in the southwestern part of the inlet, and Kachemak Bay on the eastern side of the inlet (see figure 1). A recovery team for the stock was established in 2010, but the team was disbanded in 2013 after completing the first draft of a recovery plan. It is expected that the National Marine Fisheries Service will publish a draft recovery plan for public review and comment in 2015.
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