Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Recovery Implementation Task Force

NOAA Fisheries and the State of Alaska, Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) recognize that successful recovery of Cook Inlet belugas (CIB) will require a multifaceted approach, including: understanding and monitoring the Cook Inlet beluga population (i.e., research); assessing, preventing, mitigating or abating threats to the population’s recovery (i.e., habitat and threats management); and garnering public support through improved outreach and education. In an effort to promote recovery, the CIB Recovery Implementation Task Force includes two active committees* which focus on each of these general topics:  

1. Habitat and Threats Management Committee; and
2. Outreach Committee. 

*From 2018 until late 2024, the Task Force included a third committee, the Research Committee; however, in late 2024 the decision was made to sunset this committee because its work was duplicative of efforts ongoing among the broader Cook Inlet beluga research community, of which all Research Committee members were a part.

The primary role of the committees is to engage the expertise of researchers, managers, communicators, and various other stakeholders to advise NOAA Fisheries and ADF&G on specific topics or issues relating to CIB recovery. The committees will provide guidance and recommendations for most effective recovery action implementation based on existing and new data and commercial information, as it becomes available, and will help prioritize limited resources to make the most difference in achieving recovery. The focus will be on short-term actions that can be completed in the next 2–5 years without losing sight of the importance of long-term projects and research. 

2026 Annual Meeting

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Date Friday, January 30, 2026

Time
Public session: 
9:00–11:30 a.m. AKST

Closed session for Task Force members: 
1:00–3:00 p.m. AKST

Location
In-person: 
Atwood Conference Center, Room 104
550 W 7th Ave, Anchorage, AK, 99501

Virtual Public Meeting: 
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Meeting ID: 295 337 092 706 83
Passcode: Ec7DP3PY 

Task Force Coordinators

• Jill Seymour – NOAA Fisheries
• Lori Polasek – Alaska Department of Fish and Game 

Committees

Outreach Committee

• Chairs
  • Jen Angelo – NOAA Fisheries
  • Barb Lake – Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Committee Members
  • Ragen Davey – Defenders of Wildlife
  • Lily Grbavach – Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
  • Tamara McGuire – The Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Photo-ID Project
  • Alex Perry – NOAA Fisheries
  • Suzanne Steinert – Beluga Whale Alliance

Habitat and Threats Management Committee

• Co-Chairs
  • Carley Lowe – NOAA Fisheries
  • Jenell Larsen Tempel – Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Committee Members
  • Gina Himes Boor – National Marine Mammal Foundation
  • Amy Hapeman – NOAA Fisheries
  • David Kroto – Tyonek Native Corporation
  • Colton Lipka – Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  • Erik Mundahl – HilCorp Alaska LLC
  • Jackie Shaff – Marine Mammal Commission
  • Sheyna Wisdom – Alaska Ocean Observing System

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More Information

• Cook Inlet Beluga Coastal Educational Panel
• Cook Inlet Belugas: A Population in Decline (poster)
• Cook Inlet Beluga Conservation and Management
• Protecting Marine Life in Alaska

2023 Updates

• Cook Inlet Beluga Research Committee Update January 27, 2023
• Cook Inlet Beluga Outreach Committee Update January 27, 2023
• Cook Inlet Beluga Habitat and Threats Management Committee January 2023 Update

2022 Updates

• Cook Inlet Beluga Research Committee Update January 28, 2022
• Cook Inlet Beluga Outreach Committee Update January 28, 2022
• Cook Inlet Beluga Habitat and Threats Management Committee January 2022 Update