Sightings Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Photo-ID Project Newsletter Spring 2018

Sightings
Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Photo-ID Project Newsletter
Spring 2018 

Photos taken under General Authorization, Letter of Confirmation No. 481-1759, MMPA/ESA Research Permit #14210 and #18016 .  Do not reproduce without permission.

Happy Spring!
       Greetings CIBW fans.  We hope that everyone had a wonderful winter.  Spring is  upon us which means beluga season has begun!  The CIBW Photo-Id Project has been getting quite a few reports of belugas around the Kenai area and in Turnagain Arm in the last month.  We have started a 2018 sightings map that you can check out where the belugas are being seen on our website.  Also, if you happen to see any live or stranded whales, please submit your sightings to the photo-id website (www.cookinletbelugas.com).  
      This winter the CIBW Photo-ID Project Team was busy working on data and reports.  All of our latest work can also be seen on the website so go check it out.  We look forward to hearing from you all soon and please share this with other beluga fans!
 
Happy Beluga Viewing!
The CIBW Photo-ID Project Team

Save the Date for the 2018 Belugas Count!
Saturday, September 15, 2018
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Anchorage, Alaska
Two locations: Upper Cook Inlet and Alaska Zoo
Free and open to the public!  No registration is required.  Hosted by NOAA Fisheries and partners.  
For more information check out the Belugas Count! website.
 

Photographs Wanted!
The CIBW Photo-ID Project wants your photos!  We know that there are many talented photographers in the area  and we are hoping that you are willing to share your quality photos to help contribute to better understand the life histories of Cook Inlet beluga whales.
 
When you submit a quality photo that we can match to our existing catalog you help add another piece to the beluga puzzle.  We will do our best to follow up with you about who is in the photo and what we know about them.  You will also be acknowledged in all of our reports that your data is used in.
 
The photo to the right was shared with the Photo-ID Project by long time colaborator Chris Garner with JBER.  This photo was taken in September 2017 in Knik Arm.  This whale is named Dimples and the photo is taken of her left-side.  Dimples gets her name from her unique dimpled mark that she has.  We believe Dimples is a female and presumed mother based on photographs taken with accompanying calves.  Dimples has been photographed by the photo-id team nearly every year since 2005 when the project began.  
 
Thank you Chris Garner for your continued contributions of beautiful whale photographs.  We always look forward to seeing them.
 
Share your photos and we will share what we know!

Beluga in the Spotlight Follow up
 
Last newsletter we featured Tyonek, the Cook Inlet beluga calf that was rescued in September 2017 and rehabilitated at the Alaska Sealife Center.
 
We wanted to do a follow up and say that Tyonek has successfully been relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio where he is settling in with his new beluga family.  A big Thank You to all the people and facilities who helped make this happen.
 
Even though Tyonek is in Texas he is still going to be an ambassador for his Cook Inlet beluga whale family and help further educate researchers about his species.  The CIBW Photo-ID Project is working on teaming up with Tyonek and his new care takers to help better understand how beluga calf marks change as they grow and to help the CIBW Photo-ID Project better age the calves that we take photos of in the wild.
 
Check out the video of Tyonek meeting his new Aunt Natasha on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SeaWorld/videos/10156788002212565/)
 
(Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center)

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