US EditionNOAA Is Investigating 70 Gray Whale Deaths Along the West Coast
WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, JUN 18 – Scientists report 690 gray whale strandings during 2018-2023, with ongoing deaths linked to Arctic food shortages and risks from ship strikes near feeding areas.
- Between December 2018 and November 2023, an Unusual Mortality Event affected eastern populations of gray whales along the west coast of North America.
- The event resulted from declines linked to climate change disrupting Arctic Ocean food webs, causing underfeeding and low reproduction rates among whales.
- During the Unusual Mortality Event, a total of 690 gray whale strandings were recorded, resulting in the loss of over 25% of the population, with 47 strandings reported so far this year primarily in California, Washington, and Oregon.
- NOAA Fisheries reported the 2024 population estimate at roughly 19,000 whales with a record low calf count of 85, termed "alarming" by experts like Calambokidis.
- Despite past recovery efforts, ongoing strandings and population decline suggest potential failure in conservation success due to larger environmental changes, requiring careful continued monitoring.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Whale mortality rises in San Francisco Bay with 22 confirmed...
Gray whale deaths in San Francisco Bay reached 22 as of mid-June 2025, with data showing continued population decline and signs of ecosystem stress and malnutrition. At least 22 whale carcasses have been confirmed in the San Francisco Bay Area so far in 2025, including 19 gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), two unidentified baleen whales, and one minke whale. This is the highest number reported in the region since 2021, when an Unusual Mortalit…
Gray whales along the West Coast appear to be in trouble
Scientists say they’ve seen a surprising number of gray whale strandings this year during their migration up the west coast — 13 as of late May in Washington alone, which is more than twice the normal average.“Just in Washington. And usually our peak continues through the end of June. So we’re, you know, I think we are going to be seeing more,” said whale biologist John Calambokidis, who has studied gray whales for more than 40 years with Cascad…
Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales Continue Decline After Downturn During Unusual Mortality Event (National Marine Fisheries Service)
) The eastern North Pacific population of gray whales that migrates along the West Coast of the United States has continued to decline, with reproduction remaining very low. Two new Technical Memorandums from NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center report the estimated population size and calf productivity in 2025. The initial population estimate of gray whales ,following an Unusual Mortality Event that ended in late 2023, suggested t…
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