Scientists catalog Cook Inlet belugas

ANCHORAGE - Researchers are individually cataloguing Cook Inlet's endangered beluga whales through photographs that show the animals' distinctive marks.

The photos document scars, shading and other distinguishing features.

Tamara McGuire, a wildlife biologist, discussed the process Saturday at a symposium hosted by Defenders of Wildlife.

McGuire was among more than a dozen experts on belugas who shared their knowledge at the event.

Among other speakers was a beluga hunter who has given it up for the good of the species and an Alaska Pacific University professor who is studying the whales' acoustic world.