Beluga whales are born dark grey, then become milky white as they mature. They are medium sized whales, averaging 15 feet and 3,000 lbs. Belugas and narwhals are the only two species in the family Monodontodae. Both have large, melon-shaped heads which improve their sonar, allowing them to find food in murky water. They eat fish, crabs and shellfish. In Alaska, orcas and humans are the beluga's predators. Unlike other whales, their neck vertebrae aren't fused, so they can turn their heads. For more information on Alaska's white whale, go to: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/whales/beluga.htm

The Cook Inlet population of belugas used to be in the thousands, but now it is rare to spot even a single beluga whale. A survey in 2001 estimated that 386 whales remained. Ten years later, only 284 are left. The combination of subsistence hunting, pollution, predation from orcas, diseases, boat collisions and stress from excessive urban noise have depleted the population. It now risks being too small to be genetically stable. Weakness is accelerated by inbreeding and may be irreversible. Native Alaskans voluntarily stopped hunting belugas in 1999, but the population has not recovered. The Cook Inlet beluga whales were listed as endangered in 2008.

Your best chance of seeing a wild beluga is by boat. No guarantees, but orcas, sea lions, humpback whales, and sea otters are frequently sighted from ferries and tour boats. The tour I went on from Seward was very respectful of wildlife, killing the engine when we got close to some whales so as to not disturb them with the noise. Click here for information on places to go by water.