Beluga Whale Numbers Stressed

HOMER TRIBUNE- Although numbers are low, beluga whales are still sometimes photographed in Cook Inlet.
Beluga whales were once a frequent sight in Kachemak Bay and the Fox River Valley, but increasingly only one or two are spotted.
The beluga whale population in Cook Inlet remains troubled, with numbers hovering at about 375 members of a genetically distinct group that formerly numbered at about 1,300.

CookInlet Keeper Director Bob Shavelson said the survey numbers confirm what his organization has said for a while now.
In response, marine mammal experts and conservation groups have renewed their calls for the Bush Administration to immediately list the Cook Inlet beluga whale as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

"We're expecting a decision after Oct. 20," said John Schoen, senior scientist at Audubon-Alaska. "At that point, the National Marine Fisheries Service could rule whether the beluga in Cook Inlet should be listed as threatened or endangered."