Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Sightings Database from 1975 to 2015

A 40-year database of opportunistic beluga whale sightings in Cook Inlet, Alaska, compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Data originates from public reports, aircraft patrols, wildlife surveys, and industry monitoring. The dataset is managed by NOAA's National Marine Mammal Laboratory.

Use Cases

• Analyzing population distribution and habitat use over a multi-decade period.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of public reporting programs for wildlife monitoring.
• Studying long-term trends in sightings frequency to inform endangered species management.
• Correlating beluga presence with environmental or human activity data from other sources.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a 40-year time range from 1975 to 2015.
• Reports undergo a two-stage quality review by NMFS Alaska Regional office and National Marine Mammal Laboratory personnel.
• Sighting sources are diverse, including the public, aerial surveys, and industry studies.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Conflicting last-update dates exist between platforms (2015 vs. 2026), suggesting metadata inconsistency.
• The original data format is an Access Database, which may require conversion for modern analysis tools.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service.

Collection Method

Sightings transcribed from voice- or email reports by the general public, aircraft patrols, wildlife surveys, and military/industry monitoring.

Time Range

1975 to 2015

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:33:26.788152

Geography

Cook Inlet, Alaska