Public hearings begin over beluga critical habitat in Cook Inlet

by Jackie Bartz
Wednesday, February 03, 2010

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A decade ago Cook Inlet's beluga population dropped by 50 percent.

Industry, environmentalists and government blame overhunting by Alaska Natives in local villages and from inside Anchorage.

Alaska Natives say it's the dwindling salmon populations.

The hunts stopped in 1999.

With the belugas struggling to rebound quickly, scientists want to designate Cook Inlet as critical habitat, but environment and industry disagree on whether it's best for the belugas. 

Many say the proposal comes with costly consequences. 

"It could have an impact on fishing, on mining, on oil and gas exploration and development, on the Knik Arm Bridge, on vessel traffic in and out of Anchorage," said Jason Brune with the Resource Development Council.

"We must do everything we can to protect our rights," said Kenai Borough Mayor David Carey.

"There could be impacts that we can't even imagine today," Brune said.

Many Alaskans are up in arms over a National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration proposal to designate 3,000 square miles of Cook Inlet as critical habitat to protect beluga whales.

The idea pits industry against environmentalists. 

"We also need to make sure that they are protected as much as possible in the areas that they use and that development that happens does not harm them any more than necessary," said Nancy Lord, who wrote the book "Beluga Days."

"We think that the restrictions that will be put in place because of the endangered species listing and the subsequent critical habitat designations will not help the belugas in any way, it will only hurt economic and community development opportunities that have been done responsibly," Brune said.

A critical habitat designation is looming around the corner.

A decision could take months.

"The critical habitat designation is an important step and you know there's been a lot of rhetoric, a lot of fear-mongering, a lot of arm-waving, the-sky-is-falling kind of stuff that the designation of the critical habitat area is going to somehow shutdown industry," said Bob Shavelson, the Cook Inlet Keeper.

"Whether the Endangered Species Act is being used appropriately here, I question. I think it's being used more to shut down responsible resource and community development rather than for the preservation of the species," Brune said.

In a critical habitat, federal agencies must take steps to prevent any actions that could destroy or jeopardize the endangered species. 

Because scientists say it's unknown what's preventing Cook Inlet's belugas from rebounding, industry workers fear everything could come to a screeching halt.