2022 Status Review: Cook Inlet Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation
September 22, 2022
Endangered Species Act 5-year Review for the Cook Inlet beluga whale completed in September 2022. The previous 5-year review was completed in April 2017.
In September 2022 NOAA Fisheries completed the Endangered Species Act 5-year review for the Cook Inlet beluga whale distinct population segment (DPS) and determined that the Cook Inlet beluga whale DPS should remain listed as endangered. A 5-year review is a periodic analysis of a species’ status conducted to ensure that the listing classification of a species as threatened or endangered on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants is accurate.
In April 2007, NOAA Fisheries listed the Cook Inlet beluga whale as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In March 2017 we published a 5-year review that determined that the Cook Inlet beluga whale distinct population segment should remain listed as endangered.
We will continue to reexamine the status once every 5 years to address new information available on this species. Our ultimate goal is to recover the Cook Inlet beluga whale population to the point where the species no longer needs protection under the Endangered Species Act.