AERIAL SURVEYS OF BELUGA IN COOK INLET, ALASKA
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducted an aerial survey of the beluga population in Cook Inlet, Alaska, during 5-12 June 2001. The 55 hr survey was flown in a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft at an altitude of 244 m (800 ft) and speed of 185 km/hr (100 kt), consistent with NMFS ’ annu...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2001
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.230.453 http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/whales/beluga/surveyrpt2001.pdf |
| Summary: | The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducted an aerial survey of the beluga population in Cook Inlet, Alaska, during 5-12 June 2001. The 55 hr survey was flown in a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft at an altitude of 244 m (800 ft) and speed of 185 km/hr (100 kt), consistent with NMFS ’ annual surveys conducted each year since 1993. The flights in June 2001 included one or more surveys of coastal areas (flown 1.4 km offshore) around the entire Inlet and 1186 km of transects across the Inlet. Paired, independent observers searched on the coastal (left) side of the plane, where virtually all beluga sightings occur, while a single observer was on the right. A computer operator/data recorder was on the left side. After finding beluga groups, a series of aerial passes were made with two pairs of primary observers each making 4 or more counts of each group. Median counts made in optimal viewing conditions on 5 different days were 44-114 beluga in the Susitna Delta (between the Beluga and Little Susitna Rivers), 60-127 in Knik Arm (there appeared to be exchanges of whales between the Susitna area and Knik Arm),12-34 in Chickaloon Bay, and 0-10 in Turnagain Arm (the whales in Turnagain are thought to exchange with whales in Chickaloon). This sighting distribution has been consistent each June or July since 1996. In addition, two belugas were found in Kachemak Bay, an area where belugas have not been seen during our surveys since 1994. The sum of the median aerial estimates (not corrected for missed whales) for June 2001 is 211. This is below index counts for years prior to 1998 (305 |
|---|