GRAY WHALES

Though generally considered endangered, Gray Whales are not on the Endangered Species List

Every year, Gray Whales migrate in the Pacific Ocean from the Arctic Sea, north of the the Bering Strait, all the way down to the tip of Baja in Mexico on a 10-12,000-mile journey. They travel fairly close to shore so you can see them from the ocean cliffs in many places along the Pacific coast. But this year, there are fewer whales seen in migration – and so far nearly fifty have washed up dead on the beaches along the West Coast. Gray Whales were in recovery from the years of whaling which took a heavy toll but the number of migrating Gray Whales is the lowest in the past half century. The calving rate is also down. Researchers have noted that some of the dead whales appear to be emaciated, presumably due to a lack of food. These are baleen whales who strain the water and sandy dirt for crustaceans and diatoms and feed on algae that grows on the underside of sea ice which is also diminished. Gray whales were hunted in all of the world’s oceans in the early 20^th century and were essentially extirpated in the North Atlantic Ocean (although there have been a few recent sightings in the South Atlantic). So far this year, 47 gray whales have stranded dead on the U.S. West Coast, up from 31 last year and 44 in 2023. The cause of these deaths is currently not known. Seven other species of whale are on the Endangered Species List. Gray Whales are not.

Activities related to oil and gas exploration, including geophysical seismic surveying, pipelaying and drilling operations, increased vessel traffic, and oil spills, all pose potential threats to western gray whales. Disturbance from underwater industrial noise may displace whales from critical feeding habitat. Physical habitat damage from drilling and dredging operations, combined with possible impacts of oil and chemical spills on benthic prey communities also warrants concern. The western gray whale population is considered to be endangered according to IUCN standards. Tangles in fish nets and other human-sourced impediments have been found to cause mortalities and ship strikes also contribute to whale mortalities as well.