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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2001

Whale hunters from the Alaska Native village of Tyonek harvested a beluga whale in July, their first under conditions regulated by the federal government and the first known since 1998.

The conditions were imposed after the beluga population fell to an estimated 347 in 1998. Although federal officials blamed overhunting by Native villages, they did not put the whale on the endangered species list.

Environmental groups, however, sued the National Marine Fisheries Service over the decision. In August, a federal judge said the NMFS was justified to label the population "depleted."

The numbers are now believed to be in the range of 350 to 450.

A rare sighting was made Friday afternoon in the Koyukuk River in Hughes, a small village northwest of Fairbanks.

Get the Story:
Thar she blows! Alaskans in Interior report rare whale sighting (AP 9/24)
Seeing whales (The Anchorage Daily News 9/23)

Relevant Links:
Cook Inlet Beluga Whales, Agreements, Laws, Information - http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/protectedresources/whales/beluga.htm
The National Marine Fisheries Service - http://www.nmfs.gov

Related Stories:
Threatened status of beluga rejected (8/22)
Part of beluga decision delayed (12/7)
Alaska Natives attend beluga hearing (12/6)
Wandering beluga raises interest (10/30)
Whale beaten to death (09/26)
State: Whales not endangered (07/14)
Beluga in danger (06/01)