Recovery plans are on the way for the endangered fin beluga whales when Alaska discovered that species are left dying on the waters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will develop necessary steps to mitigate the harmful causes of deaths being linked, while scientists try to point out why the population has not improved.
NOAA will do research and focus on possible threats that are detrimental to the whales like stressors or the change of temperature in the waters. Six months ago, NOAA arranged autonomous sailing vessels to study whales, fish, and seals in remote areas of the ocean.
Also in June 2016, researchers have found nine fin whales dead on the waters. They found the possibility of a warmer water temperature was the caused the deaths.
Douglas DeMaster, research and center director, NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Fisheries Science Center, stated in its press release, "As pioneers in this new research frontier we're seeking to discover more cost-effective ways to augment our existing research efforts and gather additional biological information in places that are difficult to navigate with a full-sized research vessel."
The mission is to know and collects data for Alaska that will have scientists track environmental changes that incurred in the sea and on marine mammals, which among them are the endangered whales. According to ABC News, the number of beluga whales in 1980's has dwindled from 1,300 to 300 today.
In the 1990's, the animals were poached for their meat by Alaskan Natives. The hunting ended in 2000. However, the population of the beluga whales has not improved.
New threats emerge in the form of natural events like stress, noise, and oil spills. Other major concerns include loss of habitat, animal killings, and growth of harmful algae.
Also stated in the news agency, NOAA wrote, "Until we know which threats are limiting this species' recovery, the strategy of this recovery plan is to focus recovery efforts on threats identified as of medium or high relative concern."
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