Today, NOAA Fisheries released its biennial abundance estimate for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. It’s not good.
Cook Inlet Beluga Whale | NOAA Fisheries
Scientists estimate that the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population size is between 250 and 317, with a median estimate of only 279. The lowest population abundance on record was estimate was 278 in 2005.
When the last population estimate was released in 2016, using the best methodology at the time, the population was estimated to be around 328 animals. Today, using the new, more reliable methodology, scientists estimate that abundance in 2016 was more likely around 293 animals. The population appears to be continuing to decline and is now estimated to be around 279 animals.
Together, Alaska Wildlife Alliance, NOAA, Cook Inlet Beluga Photo ID, Defenders of Wildlife, and Beluga Whale Alliance co-founded the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Partnership to launch a Cook Inlet-wide citizen science effort to monitor these endangered whales. Sign up to get involved at www.akbpm.org.
