ByYereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

Updated: 1 hour agoPublished: 1 day ago

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/wildlife/2023/06/16/new-estimate-for-cook-inlet-belugas-shows-glimmer-of-hope-for-endangered-population/

The number of endangered beluga whales swimming in Alaska’s Cook Inlet increased slightly in the past four years, providing “a glimmer of hope” for a population that crashed in the 1990s and remained at a low number long after that, according to anew estimatereleased Thursday by federal biologists.

The latest population estimate for endangered Cook Inlet belugas is between 290 and 386, with amedian estimate of 311, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. That compares to NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center 2018 median estimate of 279 and a range of 250 to 317 animals.

The new population estimate is based on aerial surveys conducted in the summers of 2021 and 2022.

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