Dead Baby Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)

Observation by Judith Daniels:

Several sightings of dead baby belugas were reported on the shores of the community and in the area over the past few days. There are at least two more baby belugas washed up on the beach at Moses Point about 8 miles outside of Elim and at Iron Creek, about 4 miles outside of Elim. The local hunters said that the whales may have died from the rough water as it has been stormy for about two weeks. There are normally belugas here and we hunt them in the spring and fall, but we don’t see stranded ones very often. Belugas are one of our main food staples, and we hate to see anything happen to them. We are concerned when we see strandings and wonder why they occur.

Resources:

Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) is the lead agency to coordinate related activities.

Alaska Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network – Report a Stranded/Beached Marine Animal: respond to stranded (sometimes called "beached") marine mammals (whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions), we work with volunteer stranding networks in all coastal states, coordinated by regional marine mammal stranding coordinators.

Alaska SeaLife Center – The Alaska Stranding Network works with the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).