According to surveys, there are currently in excess of 100,000 belugas in the ocean. Although they are not among the most endangered animals, CITES has included them on Appendix II (which includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival), both because of their numbers and because of the growing problem of marine pollution.
根據調查，目前海洋中的白鯨超過十萬隻，族群存續雖不算最危急，但相較於過去的數量與近來面臨的海洋污染，華盛頓公約組織已將之列入第二級珍稀動物名錄。