Thar she blows!

BOEM Alaska OCS Region staff members (left to right) Vilma Perez de Pottella, Dr. Christina Bonsell, Anne Almario and Maureen De Zeeuw look for the spouts and telltale white backs of passing beluga whales at the annual Belugas Count! event here Sept. 13, 2025. BOEM photo by John Callahan.

On Saturday, Sept. 13, a team from BOEM's Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region joined NOAA Fisheries and other partners for Belugas Count!, an annual community science and whale-watching event focused on the endangered Cook Inlet beluga. Despite a forecast for heavy rain, the day was sunny (although indeed windy, as the location's name suggests) and...thar she blows!

And as the tide rolled in, so did the whales.

Over the course of the morning, more than 200 visitors stopped by the BOEM station, staffed by Dr. Christina Bonsell, Anne Almario, Maureen De Zeeuw and Vilma Perez De Pottella. Armed with binoculars, field guides, and friendly expertise, the team helped visitors scan the tide for signs of life: misty exhalations, curved white backs, or the flash of a fin.

BOEM will use the information collected during the event to inform energy and mineral development activities offshore Alaska to help address America's energy needs while avoiding potential impacts to marine species like belugas.

"Days like this really make the science feel local," Bonsell said. "You can simultaneously watch a gray calf tucked beside its white mother and hear how excited the station visitors get when they see them. As a marine ecologist, it's also fun to talk with the visitors about how Cook Inlet's tides, fish and whales fit together. It's really an amazing ecosystem, right here on our doorstep in Anchorage."

The location wasn't random.

Belugas Count! strategically places viewing stations around Cook Inlet where high tides and steep shorelines push whales closer to land. Turnagain Arm is one such place, home to some of the largest tidal shifts in the country, drawing fish and belugas in together.

Belugas Count! volunteers Maureen de Zeeuw (left) and Dr. Christina Bonsell share a laugh with Betty Beluga, the event mascot who made a cameo appearance at the observation station along Turnagain Arm. Photo by J. Anne Almario.

Alongside the thrill of whale watching, BOEM's team also shared how science and stewardship come together across Alaska's offshore regions. Visitors asked about BOEM's role in the Outer Continental Shelf, energy leasing, and how marine research informs decisions to how Cook Inlet's working waters support Alaska communities and America's energy future.

To cap it off, Betty Beluga, the event's plush mascot, made an appearance for photos and high-fives with children and curious adults alike.

Cook Inlet Beluga Fast Facts

• An Endangered Species: Cook Inlet belugas are a distinct, year-round population listed as endangered in 2008 under the Endangered Species Act.
• Population Size: The most recent NOAA median best estimate places the population at about 331 animals.
• Baby Belugas: Calves are born gray and gradually turn white as they mature, which is one reason why mother-calf pairs stand out to observers.
• Tidal Travelers: In Turnagain Arm, some of the largest tides in the United States help drive fish movements. Belugas often travel with those tides, improving viewing around the highs.
• Vocal Swimmers: Cook Inlet belugas feed on seasonally abundant fish, including eulachon in spring and salmon in summer. Sometimes called "canaries of the sea," they're famously vocal, relying on sound to navigate and find prey.

-- BOEM --

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.