Beluga whales’ calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

Credit: Arial Brewer/University of Washington

Beluga whales photographed in August 2021 in Cook Inlet, Alaska. The population was most recently estimated at just 331 animals. A first description of this population’s vocal repertoire shows that many of the most common calls are masked by shipping noise.

« Beluga whales’ calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

Credit: Kim Shelden/NOAA Fisheries

Map of Cook Inlet, Alaska, with red pins where underwater recordings used for this study. Stripes show Cook Inlet beluga whale critical habitat, and the blue line shows designated Port of Alaska commercial shipping lanes.

« Beluga whales’ calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

Credit: Paul Wade/NOAA Fisheries

Cook Inlet beluga mother and calf in turbid, or cloudy, waters.

« Beluga whales’ calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

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