Listening for belugas in the Yukon Delta

Belugas are culturally important to Alaska’s Yup’ik communities and are critical to their food security. Ensuring healthy beluga populations secures nutritional health and well-being for Alaska Native communities and families. In response to Indigenous expert observations that current beluga population assessments in the Eastern Bering Sea overlook the individuals that use the Yukon Delta, managers and hunters launched a collaborative project.

Water in the Yukon Delta is opaque, making it difficult to survey using standard aerial methods. So, the project team proposed to pilot acoustic monitoring devices as a solution to listen for belugas and used local logistical support to maintain a small network through the summer. WWF supported Kotlik and Emmonak community members in Alaska to capture underwater audio of beluga whales to better monitor their populations.

Beluga conservation efforts depend on an accurate count of whales. Indigenous hunters also need to know how many belugas there are to sustainably manage their harvest. Using hydrophones to detect belugas in the river provides a more accurate picture of how belugas use freshwater habitat and helps ensure that these Arctic marine animals are protected.

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