News Chopper Makes 4th Puget Sound Beluga Whale Sighting

TACOMA, WA — A news chopper has captured what is likely the fourth confirmed sighting of a lost beluga whale that has spent the last few days travelling Puget Sound.

Thursday afternoon, KOMO news posted video to Facebook taken from its helicopter, which they say shows the whale swimming in Commencement Bay, near Tacoma. Before Thursday's sighting, the last report of the whale had been near Point Defiance, though it has also been spotted in Eliot Bay near Seattle, and back in Commencement Bay before that.

Belugas have not been spotted in Puget Sound since the 1940s, the Associated Press reported. NOAA confirms that the whale is some 1,000 miles outside the beluga whale's typical range, which is normally near Alaska and the arctic ocean.

"While exciting, there is great concern for this Beluga who is far from home, and being a social animal concern they are alone and away from their pod," wrotes Orca Network, a whale awareness non-profit organization.

Beluga whales — sometimes called white whales because of their color, or the sea canaries because of their high-pitched chirps — are typically found in arctic or sub-arctic waters. The species as a whole is not considered endangered, but the subpopulation from the Cook Inlet in Alaska is, and it is protected by the Endangered Species Act. Belugas are also protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Washington law requires boats keep at least 100 yards away from whales in the Sound, but Orca Network asks boaters give the beluga even more space, if possible. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently made a similar request, asking boaters to give extra space to pregnant Southern Resident killer whales.

If you see the whale, researchers ask you to report your sighting to the Whale Sighting Network at 360-331-3543. Sightings can also be mailed to info@orcanetwork.org or called in to the NOAA West Coast Region Stranding Hotline at 866-767-6114. Orca Network says it is critical that sightings are reported quickly, so researchers can get out on the water and, hopefully, learn more about the beluga, check its health and figure out where it came from.

Sighting reports can also be submitted to NOAA Fisheries at 1-866-767-6114.