Alaskan distribution of the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas
Harrison CS and Hall JD. 1978. Alaskan distribution of the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas. The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 92(3):235-241
Results of observations of Beluga Whales from 80,000 km of aerial survey trackline in Alaska indicate an apparent absense of this species in many coastal and most offshore waters. Important populations are located in the Gulf of Alaska, especially the Cook Inlet, northern Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, and a nothern migratory one which winters in the Bering Sea and summers in the eastern beauford Sea. Beluga occur regularly in deep water offshore during summer in the Beauford Sea and can occure offshore elsewhere, but are predominately coastal in the Bearing Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. We suspect that there are no major populations of this species unreported in Alaska waters.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Harrison, Craig; Hall, John
- Units
- AKRO , ANIA , KATM , KEFJ , SWAN
- Keywords
- Aerial Survey, Alaska, Alaskan cetacea, Animal Studies, Beluga Whale, Delphinapterus leucas, Distribution, Marine Mammals, Odontidae, Odontoceti, white whale