Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Cook Inlet beluga whales are listed as endangered, which means they in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range.
IUCN Red List: Beluga whales are listed as near threatened, meaning it is is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future. Cook Inlet belugas, however, are listed as critically endangered, meaning they are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, and the calculated probability of extinction during the next 10 years is greater than 50%.
Beluga whales are listed under CITES Appendix II.