1. Beluga

Beluga Stories

Close up of beluga whale face

Working together to better understand Alaska’s beluga whales

WWF worked with Kotlik and Emmonak community members using hydrophones to capture audio of beluga whales underwater. The goal is to better understand beluga behavior in freshwater and ensure these marine mammals are protected.

  • How would offshore oil and gas drilling in the Arctic impact wildlife?

    April 14, 2021

    How a handful of the Arctic’s abundant wildlife would be impacted by offshore drilling and a potential oil spill in the Arctic.

    Pacific walrus swimming

  • An aquatic symphony of beluga whales inspires adventurers

    WWF Magazine: Fall 2019
    "We come across a pod of belugas, and our guide lowers a hydrophone a few feet below the surface of the water. The concert begins, and we learn why belugas are called canaries of the sea."
    Beluga above surface

  • Why we must help Bristol Bay now

    April 02, 2018

    Bristol Bay, Alaska is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world and the source of the world's largest wild salmon fishery. Yet its future is in jeopardy from the proposal for Pebble Mine. Now the US Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to fast track the mine's permit application and we must take action now.

    bristol bay aerial

  • Trump Administration to roll back crucial Arctic protections

    January 05, 2018

    The Arctic Ocean—the pristine home to bowhead whales, gray whales, polar bears, walruses, and other magnificent wildlife, along with many indigenous communities—could potentially lose crucial protections from risky offshore oil and gas drilling.

    polar bears rest on an ice pack

  • How big is the Arctic Ocean? And eight other Arctic facts

    The Arctic Ocean is about 5.4 million square miles—about 1.5 times as big as the US—but it is the world’s smallest ocean. Learn more about the Arctic and what WWF is doing to help protect it.

    Polar bear and cub