Norton Sound Beluga Whale Population is “Abundant,” New Survey Suggests
![Sunset after a day of crabbing in Norton Sound. July 2014.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Screen-Shot-2015-07-08-at-2.42.24-PM.png)
According to the survey’s late June count, 917 whales have been seen in the Norton Sound. In a NOAA Fisheries press release, the surveyors said these numbers “put us well on track to being able to update the abundance estimate for this population of belugas.”
After Nearly 20 Years, NOAA Surveys Norton Sound Beluga Whale Population
![Study transects for the beluga whale aerial survey in Norton Sound. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries, 2017](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NortonSoundBeluga_2017.jpg)
The Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, the North Slope Borough, and NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center are collaborating on aerial surveys of the Eastern Bering Sea as well as near the Yukon River Delta until June 29th.