It’s that time of year when Cook Inlet beluga whales are highly visible along Turnagain Arm and other areas in the Cook Inlet watershed.

Please be mindful that this particular population of belugas is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and they are highly sensitive to noise. View belugas safely and respectfully by practicing the following:

• Avoid flying drones over belugas

• Do not allow children to throw or skip rocks in the water when belugas are present

• Keep voices low when watching belugas

• Refrain from pulling over in emergency lanes to watch the whales - use designated parking areas only

• Stay off the mudflats

• Set good examples for others

A single disturbance probably wouldn’t cause too much harm, but there will be many people out whale watching and cumulatively these stressors could impact the whales’ ability to successfully forage for coho salmon.

Be a good beluga steward and most importantly, enjoy them and appreciate that we are able to see such a unique species so accessibly - they might not be around forever.

Happy to answer any questions about this thread via DM.

Disclaimer: These guidelines are based off my personal experiences and do not represent the views of any organization or entity.

PC, self. Taken from shore with a zoom lens (no permit required).