According to a new study, low birth rates may be contributing to the decline of the Cook Inlet population.
Gina Himes Boor, a Montana State University ecology professor and lead author of the study, is the research professor. She stated that this is the first time that researchers have been able estimate the birth rates of the species. She also said that the lower than expected rates could be a major factor in the population’s decline.
She said, “Getting the demographic piece in place and understanding it helps us to identify what might be the external conditions that may be limiting their recovery.”
This study is just one piece of a puzzle scientists are trying solve to understand why the threatened population of Cook Inlet belugas has not recovered.
Himes Boor and her colleagues used photographs of individual belugas as a way to chart trends within the entire population. They discovered that whales were not giving birth at the same rate as healthy populations. She stated that while healthy belugas give birth every two to three year, Cook Inlet belugas reproduce every four years.
Rebecca Taylor from the Alaska Science Center was also a co-author of the study. She stated that researchers used photo data to determine survival rates within the population. They also found them lower than they expected.
Taylor stated, “It’s really important to understand the birth and death rates of endangered populations such as the Cook Inlet belugas.”
Himes Boor stated that the next step in research is to identify the factors responsible for low birth rates and high death rates in belugas. She said, “Because the population is falling and its prospects aren’t looking good.”
She said that researchers will be looking at data through 2022 in the next year.
Himes Boor used photos taken by Tamara McGuire’s Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Photo-ID Project to study the population. The project also accepts photos from citizens scientists. You can submit photos to the project at cookinletbelugas.com.
