'What we're seeing is adaptation': scientists study influx of gray whales into Sitka Sound during herring spawn

'What we're seeing is adaptation': scientists study influx of gray whales into Sitka Sound during herring spawn

A gray whale forages on herring eggs in Sitka Sound on May 1, 2026. (Photos collected by Alaska Whale Foundation under NMFS permit no. 26663.) Listen to the sound-rich story here It’s early May, and five gray whales weave between the kelp as they feed on herring eggs in the water around our 20-foot inflatable boat. Researchers are taking photos to identify individual whales and measure how much weight they’ve gained since they arrived in the Sit…