The development of a catalog of left-side digital images of individually-identified Cook Inlet beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas, NPRB Project 0910

LGL’s Photo-identification Study of endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales (CIBWs) Delphinapterus leucas has demonstrated
that CIBWs in Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) possess persisting natural marks that can be identified and re-sighted photographically.
Our catalog of images of the right sides of CIBWs photographed 2005-2010 has provided information about the distribution and
movement patterns of individual CIBW and the population in general, including residency/movement patterns, habitat utilization,
reproduction, injury, disease, mortality, and abundance. Due to budget constraints, we archived all photographs taken of the
left-sides of CIBWs after 2005 and were unable to process and catalog these images. Funding from NPRB allowed us to catalog
images of the left-sides of CIBWs photographed 2005-2008, and to develop the left-side catalog. The left-side catalog increased
the existing information about identified CIBWs, without requiring additional field work, research permits, or potential disturbance
to the whales. A total of 186 CIBWs were identified as individuals from left-side images, including 58 mothers, and 20 whales
identified on both sides of the body. The creation of a left-side catalog allowed for increased representation of whales seen
in Turnagain Arm, and added to the records of 255 CIBWs in the right-side catalog, increased the evidence that CIBWs do not
display fidelity to any single area of UCI, that individuals move among Knik Arm and the Susitna River Delta, and Turnagain Arm,
and that CIBWs are not divided into subgroups. All CIBWs are therefore likely exposed to multiple potential threats that may
be endemic to certain areas of UCI. These datasets were archived as part of the North Pacific Research Board legacy project recovery effort undertaken by Axiom Data Science and NPRB in 2025. The goal of the recovery effort was to assess the NPRB-funded data projects from 2002 to 2014 and archive final data packages that were ready for publication to increase long-term accessibility and discoverability. Data packages were archived as is given limited funding and resources.