People can now view a livestream feed of Cook Inlet beluga whales swimming in the Kenai River. The Alaska Wildlife Alliance and the City of Kenai launched two beluga monitoring webcams that went live last week.
Teresa Becher is the Kenai coordinator for the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program, which partners with the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. She says the cameras are pointed at the mouth of the Kenai River and just past the Kenai city dock.
"We placed the two cameras in areas where we think the belugas are likely to be seen as they swim by certain areas,” Becher said.
The stream provides an aerial view of the two popular beluga monitoring sites. The cameras were installed this summer next to the city’s existing dipnet camera infrastructure. They were paid for by the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.
Dan Castimore, IT manager for the City of Kenai, says the install was simple.
"It’s good for the city because we’re always trying to increase our coverage for dipnet fishery," Castimore said. "That was one of the reasons this was a great opportunity, and so it allowed us to add additional cameras at no cost to the city."
While the livestream cameras provide a chance to view beluga whales remotely, Becher says they also allow for research opportunities for students of Kenai Peninsula College. If the livestream is successful, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance hopes to add more beluga monitoring cameras to its fleet.
The Kenai River’s beluga monitoring season ends this month but will start back up in March. You can view a livestream from the beluga monitoring cameras by visiting the Alaska Wildlife Alliance’s YouTube channel.
To receive text notifications when beluga whales are spotted in the Kenai River, text "beluga" to 833-541-0408.
