Alaska Endangered Beluga Whales

In this photo taken Aug. 25, 2017, provided by NOAA Fisheries, a newborn beluga whale calf sticks its head out of the water in upper Cook Inlet, Alaska. The population of endangered beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet continues to decline, federal marine mammal authorities said in 2020, with a biennial survey conducted by the fisheries arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimating the population of the white whales at 250 to 317, with a median estimate of 279. (NOAA Fisheries via AP)