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Whales in San Francisco Bay

Roughly 30 gray whales have been spotted in the Bay this season, many more than is typical. Sadly, there have also been at least 14 deaths this year, which is more than in all of 2024. 

We are investigating to help determine the cause of these deaths. By gaining insights into what is causing these tragedies, we can better understand how to help prevent them.

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gray whale fluke
three humpback whales feeding
In the News

Bay Nature: As Whale Populations Grow, Dungeness Crabbers Foresee Their Own Demise

March 22, 2023
  • Species conservation
  • Entanglement

Traffic at sea: Humpback whales are inhabiting waters off California in steadily rising numbers, and the Dungeness crab fishery must make room.

Published in Bay Nature: March 22, 2023

For seven hours, we stare at a gray, choppy ocean. An occasional pelagic bird soars overhead, but more than anything else there is just ocean. What the 20 passengers aboard the Amigo want to see are the humpback whales—acrobats of the sea longer than a school bus and as heavy as five or six elephants—that hang out along California’s coast from spring to fall feeding on krill and anchovy. 

Weepy fog keeps us shivering. A few crumple into seasick heaps. But as the boat heads back to San Francisco, luck changes. 

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species conservation
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Kathi George
Humpback Whale