Beluga Whales in Lower Cook Inlet: Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan Continental Shelf
January 01, 1979
Cook Inlet population surveys and counting methods.
The Cook Inlet beluga population has been estimated by Klinkhard (1966) at 300 to 400. Recent surveys conducted in the Inlet to determine distribution and abundance have not changed this estimate. Most surveys have involved shoreline observations and have not been intensive surveys of the open water areas of the inlet. Accurate counting methods need to be developed so that a better population estimate will become available.
------
Nancy Murray.