|
 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Beluga whales have long delighted residents and tourists alike when spotted swimming the silty waters off Alaska's biggest city, but now the gregarious white whales are in danger of becoming extinct.
That's the determination of the National Marine Fisheries Service, which on Thursday proposed that the small whales with the prominent foreheads in Cook Inlet be listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.
"There are few places in the world like Anchorage where a species of whale is as visible, enthralling and accessible as the Cook Inlet beluga. We need to do all we can to make sure that continues in the future," said Mike Frank, attorney for Trustees for Alaska, which represented a dozen conservation groups petitioning to get the whales protected under the ESA.
|