To properly assess a beluga's diet, figuring out the whale's geographical location is crucial. Amongst Alaskan populations, belugas will use either migratory or nonmigratory hunting strategies based on geographical location and other factors. The migratory populations, or stocks, feed in shallow nearshore and deep-water offshore habitats. Nonmigratory stocks, on the other hand, use shallow, estuarine habitats all year (Quackenbush et al., 2015). There are, of course, contrasts in diet due to living in different regions, seasonal restrictions, and the ecology and life cycles of the animals that the belugas feed on. Most of the data on beluga diets is gathered during the summer, as finding the belugas' foraging and breeding grounds can be challenging. 

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In migratory stocks, there are large portions of invertebrates in the beluga diets, such as shrimp, octopus, polychaetes, isopods, amphipods, and more (Quackenbush et al., 2015; Loseto, et al., 2009​). Additionally, Arctic cod seems to dominate the diet of beluga populations in Beaufort Sea (Loseto, et al., 2009; Marcoux et al., 2012). Nonmigratory stocks seem to eat a lot more Chinook salmon, though there may be other salmon species that belugas eat that degrades too quickly before they can be analyzed and identified (Quackenbush et al., 2015). Regional differences also influence the depths at which the separate beluga populations feed on prey, as some may swim to pelagic habitats (open sea) while others may eat benthic prey (seafloor).