Endangered AK beluga whale group declining

A government study found that a group of endangered beluga whales in Alaska is declining, raising concern that bolstered protection for the animals is not coming quickly enough.
The downward trend comes after two years where numbers for the Cook Inlet belugas appeared to have stabilized. But now numbers have slipped again to 321 animals, down from an estimated 375 animals in 2007 and 2008, according to figures released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The lower number in 2009 underscores the need for NOAA to act more aggressively to reverse the decline and save the whales from extinction.
Overharvesting by Alaska Natives is believed to have contributed but numbers continued to decline even after hunting was sharply curtailed in 1999.... Read Full Article by Mary Pemberton