Donate

Beluga Protection in Tuxedni Bay

by | Jul 22, 2024 | blogs, Clean Water, Cook Inlet, Healthy Habitat, Johnson Tract Mine

Tuxedni Bay is an essential piece of habitat to ensure the continued survival of this iconic species. The Cook Inlet Beluga habitat is beleaguered with threats from underwater noise from oil and gas development, reductions in critical prey availability, and pollution. NMFS has a duty to ensure the highest levels of accountability for proposed industrial development and to implement swift measures to ensure protection and recovery of this endangered species.
pod of beluga whales

Beluga Protection in Tuxedni Bay

— Loren Barrett

Following the recent overturning of Lease Sale 258—a significant victory for beluga habitat and recovery—Cook Inletkeeper and The Center for Biological Diversity jointly petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish a Cook Inlet beluga protection zone in the Tuxedni Bay area. This proposed zone aims to shield critically endangered beluga whales from industrial noise and development within their crucial habitat.

Human-caused noise—along with reductions in prey and pollution—is one of the primary threats to the survival of this unique species. A recent acoustic study highlighted Tuxedni Bay as one of the quietest and most pristine tracts of beluga habitat in Cook Inlet. It is an invaluable refuge, rich in prey, and a key foraging area in the fall, winter, and spring.  

Map courtesy of Kara Clauser/Center for Biological Diversity

Kara Clauser — Center for Biological Diversity

Our petition proposes regulations to prohibit industrial vessels and activities within the zone that could harm Cook Inlet belugas without impacting commercial fishing or local tourism.

Tuxedni Bay is the preferred location for the proposed Johnson Tract mine, a non-critical minerals project in advanced exploration stages that would introduce a marine terminal with a haul road, port site, and ore barges all traversing beluga territory. Such heavy industrial development would have a significant impact on the Cook Inlet belugas, whose current population hovers around just 300 whales.

Cook Inlet belugas are designated as a Fisheries Service “species in the spotlight,” indicating that they are one of the top 10 endangered marine species nationwide prioritized for recovery efforts. The Service identifies these species as facing imminent extinction if substantial threats are not mitigated.

Tuxedni Bay is an essential piece of habitat to ensure the continued survival of this iconic species. The Cook Inlet Beluga habitat is beleaguered with threats from underwater noise from oil and gas development, reductions in critical prey availability, and pollution. NMFS has a duty to ensure the highest levels of accountability for proposed industrial development and to implement swift measures to ensure the protection and recovery of this endangered species.

Similar Posts

Inletkeeper Kicks off New Solution Focused on Salmon Habitat

by | Feb 6, 2025 | , , ,

After five years of implementing local solutions, Inletkeeper’s newest community-led project will focus on improving salmon habitat on the Central Peninsula. Inletkeeper is inviting the public to come together on February 10th with local experts to brainstorm salmon habitat solutions and then choose the best one for volunteers to implement alongside Inletkeeper in the Central Peninsula.

Proposed Johnson Tract Gold Mine Threatens Endangered Belugas and Would Industrialize Tuxedni Bay

by | Jan 23, 2025 | , ,

The proposed Johnson Tract Mine, a non-critical gold mine proposed within Lake Clark National Park, would industrialize the west side of Cook Inlet. The effects of this industrialization would ripple out and threaten the only known winter foraging habitat of the critically endangered Cook Inlet Beluga whale, the last stronghold of Cook Inlet’s razor back clam beds still accessed for subsistence each year, and intact habitat for salmon, bears and birds which are the bedrock of the thriving eco-tourism economy in the region.