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This dead right whale calf had injuries consistent with a vessel strike, including fresh propeller cuts on its back and head, broken ribs, and bruising. Photo: FWC/Tucker Joenz, NOAA Fisheries permit #18786

Emergency Right Whale Petition Seeks Overdue Protections From Vessel Strikes

This dead right whale calf had injuries consistent with a vessel strike, including fresh propeller...
Dolphins with oil rig

Go ahead for new UK oil and gas exploration threatens whales and dolphins

Permission has been granted for the development of the UK's biggest untapped oilfield off Shetland,...
Icelandic hunting vessels in port

Whaling boat kept in port after more hunt cruelty exposed

Icelandic whale hunting fleet One of the whaling boats involved in the latest hunts in...
Commerson's dolphin

New Important Marine Mammal Areas added to global ocean conservation list

Commerson's dolphin Experts from a number of countries have mapped out a new set of...
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  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent bycatch
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings

Whale culture should play a part in their conservation says new international study

An international group of researchers working on a wide range of species, including whales, argues...

No change in Norway whaling quota as number of whales to be killed remains high

Norway’s Minister of Fisheries has announced that the country has set itself the same number...

Preparations for beluga whale move to Iceland continue

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Photo taken by Sea to Shore Alliance under NOAA Permit #15488

Senate Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale

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Norway’s whaling future uncertain after survey shows little domestic appetite for whale meat

The future of Norway’s whaling industry appears to be in serious doubt as it struggles...
nmfs_beluga_drone_laura_morse_afsc

Moving in the wrong direction: new application would bring belugas to US marine parks

Earlier this year, WDC celebrated the passage of a landmark law to ban whale and...

Financial worth of whales revealed

https://us.whales.org/2019/09/27/financial-worth-of-whales-revealed/
Two beautiful Hector's dolphins leap just off new Zealand's coast. © Mike Bossley

Significant Victory for WDC in Fight to Save World’s Smallest Dolphins

A significant victory in the fight to save dolphins in New Zealand from extinction! This...
Orcas are crammed together in sickening conditions

Russian Citizens Call For Action to Prevent Another Whale Jail

Reports from inside Russia have revealed more than 100,000 petition signers have raised their objections...
Fin whale

Positive whaling news emerges from Iceland

News is emerging from Iceland that the company behind Iceland’s fin whale hunts, Hvalur hf,...

WDC funded research shows ‘pingers’ could save porpoises from fishing nets

Underwater sound devices called ‘pingers’ could be an effective, long-term way to prevent porpoises getting...

WDC scientists join call for global action to protect whales and dolphins from extinction

Scientists from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, along with over 250 other experts from 40 countries,...

Pacific Gray Whale Population Drops by Nearly 25%

Gray whale deaths have spiked on the West Coast

Being taken off the endangered species list sadly doesn’t guarantee a carefree future for whales.  Recent research estimates that the population of Pacific gray whales off North America’s West Coast has declined by almost a quarter since 2016.  These whales are known for the epic migrations between their Arctic feeding grounds and the breeding lagoons in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, a migration route that takes them very close to land and makes them easy to see from shore almost anywhere along the West Coast.

Starting in 2019, alarming numbers of dead gray whales were spotted on beaches and floating offshore throughout their habitat, from Mexico to Alaska.  There were so many whales that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) declared an “Unusual Mortality Event” for gray whales.  UMEs are declared when a “significant die-off” occurs in any marine mammal population, and directs additional resources to collect information in hopes of understanding why the die-off is occurring.  Marine mammals are sentinels of ocean health, so when they are sick or dying in high numbers, it can be a sign that something is wrong with their ocean ecosystem.

Although the cause of the current gray whale UME is still unknown, researchers believe it is most likely due to starvation from a lack of adequate prey on the whales’ Arctic feeding grounds.  Gray whales are baleen whales and feed on a variety of small invertebrates, especially amphipods (tiny shrimp).  Like other long-distance migrators, they don’t feed on their winter breeding grounds or along their migration, and must bulk up during the summer to sustain themselves through the rest of the year.

This species needs you more than ever right now.

Gray whale

The Arctic has had historically low levels of sea ice in recent years, upending the delicate ecosystem that sustains gray whales and many other species.  Observers using aerial photography to assess body condition in gray whales noted the whales looked skinnier starting in 2018, and that they were arriving in Mexico in poor condition, which suggested they were not finding enough food during the summer.

This die-off of gray whales is alarmingly similar to the events of 20 years ago, when another UME resulted in a significant drop in the gray whale population.  Although the cause of that UME was ultimately undetermined, it’s thought that the population reached “carrying capacity” – it grew too large for the environment to support it.  Although that idea has been suggested for this die-off as well, it’s more likely due to the changing conditions of the Arctic.

Gray whales were hunted almost to extinction by the mid-20th century.  Their close-to-shore habitat, which makes them a delight for whale watchers, also made them easily accessible for West Coast whalers.  Along with North Atlantic right whales, they were one of the first whales to be protected from hunting.  The Eastern North Pacific population rebounded without pressure from whaling, and was taken off the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1994; the Western North Pacific population is still listed as endangered.  However, new threats have arisen for gray whales with increasing human use of their habitat, including vessel strikes, accidental entanglement in fishing gear, noise, and effects from climate change. 

418 gray whales have been found dead since 2019 as of March 8th, 2021.  Many more have certainly died, since the majority of whale carcasses sink or float out to sea and are never spotted by humans, and survey efforts have been impacted by limited response ability during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The annual census of gray whales counted 6,000 fewer migrating whales last winter compared to 2016, leading to the estimate that the population has dropped by a quarter in recent years.

A unique group of gray whales known as the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) don’t go back to Arctic waters to forage, but stay off the coast between Northern California and Southeast Alaska.  Another group known as the Sounders makes a “pit stop” in Puget Sound along their migration to feed on ghost shrimp – a strategy that may have given them an advantage during this recent die-off.

This news is alarming, especially because strandings remain higher than “normal” in 2021.  It is a reminder that being taken off the official Endangered Species List does not mean that a population’s future is secure.  New threats arise, climate change upends habitats, and continued monitoring and work is needed to make sure whales can fulfil their role as essential parts of our global ecosystem.

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