Sighting histories of Cook Inlet beluga whales from photo-ID data, 2005-2017

These data represent mark-resight photo-id observations from the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population collected and managed by Dr. Tamara McGuire of the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Photo-ID Project and reanalyzed for this project. The original photos were taken of individual whales during shore- and vessel-based surveys in Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA during ice-free months (April-October) from 2005 to 2017 using a digital SLR camera and a telephoto image-stabilized zoom lens (100-400mm) with auto-focus. Individual whales were identified from photographs of one side of their body (right or left) using permanent marks and scars. Identification was done with a combination of computer aided filtering and two independent reviews by experienced photo-analysts. For the present analysis, if a whale was photographed in close association with a calf or calves, we reanalyzed the photo-ID photos and the two photo-analysts independently estimated categorical age of the calf/calves in the photo (e.g., young of year, 1-year old or older, 2 years old or older, etc). The data consist of annual sighting records of right-side and left-side marked whales (rows) from 2005 to 2017 (columns). The sighting records are numeric codes (1-66) reflecting the following sighting types: no sighting of a whale within the survey year (1), sighting of a whale without an accompanying calf (2), or sighting of a whale with a calf or calves (3-66). The numeric codes for sightings with a calf reflect the estimated categorical age of the calf or calves.