The Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program’s fall season for the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers begins today. The NOAA-led program relies on volunteers to track Cook Inlet beluga whales entering and exiting the rivers. Observations, including beluga numbers, behaviors and interactions are reported back to NOAA.
Teresa Becher is the program’s Kenai coordinator.
“The easiest way to help is to watch what’s going on in the river, and I don’t mean just boats or anything else," she said. "Anything that you think might impact a beluga probably does, things like trash that’s in the river, picking up stuff, or notifying people about it if you see a beluga that’s stranded.”
Popular spots to monitor beluga whales in the Kenai River are at the Scenic Bluff Overlook Park on Spur View Drive in Kenai, the mouth of the river from Kenai’s north and south beaches, Kenai’s city dock and Cunningham Park. On the Kasilof River, belugas are usually spotted at the mouth of the river on the north and south shores.
NOAA shares the information collected by volunteer observers with researchers and federal managers to inform ongoing beluga conservation, research and management efforts. People interested in becoming a beluga monitor can sign up on the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program’s website. Becher says that’s where you can find volunteer training, learn more about Cook Inlet beluga whales and know what to look for.
“This program is very important because it allows the community to get involved at a community science level," Becher said. "It’s not just so people can come out and watch the whales, if you take the training, and I strongly encourage people to do that, you learn a lot about the whales, why they’re endangered, and what’s important for them.”
The Cook Inlet beluga whale is an endangered species with an estimated 330 individuals, per the Marine Mammal Commission. The species saw a sharp decline in the 1990s when they were unsustainably harvested for subsistence purposes. Becher says they’re a critical species in the Cook Inlet ecosystem.
Want to know when belugas are in the river? Sign up for text notifications by texting “beluga” to 833-541-0408. Becher suggests boaters sign up for the alert system to prevent accidental encounters with beluga whales.
