Bay Nature: As Whale Populations Grow, Dungeness Crabbers Foresee Their Own Demise
- 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.
Yes, I want to save a life!
Yes, I want to save a life!
You’ll be giving sick and injured animals the best possible care at the Center’s state-of-the-art hospital. With your gift today, you are giving a patient a second chance at life in the wild.
See Our Latest News
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/two-seals-playing-shutterstock-250-0-3211-2510-1602631793.jpg","alt":"two seals playing on a beach","title":"Top Eco Friendly Father\u2019s Day Gifts that Give Back","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/eco-friendly-fathers-day-gifts-that-give-back","label":"News Update","date":"2023-05-17 02:00:00"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-golden-gate-bridge-by-darrin-allen-c-the-marine-mammal-center-noaa-permit-26532-470-3-2853-2229-1683822339.jpg","alt":"gray whale tail seen above the water with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background","title":"Experts Suspect Record-Setting Gray Whale Struck Multiple Times in San Francisco Bay","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/experts-suspect-record-setting-gray-whale-struck-multiple-times-in-san-francisco-bay","label":"Press Release","date":"2023-05-11 02:00:00"}
Experts Suspect Record-Setting Gray Whale Struck Multiple Times in San Francisco Bay
May 11, 2023
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Hawaiian monk seals\/2023\/cropped-images\/hms-rl68-photo-c-the-marine-mammal-center-210-866-2232-1743-1682023516.jpg","alt":"Hawaiian monk seal RL68","title":"Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal Receiving Life-Saving Care at The Marine Mammal Center","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/endangered-hawaiian-monk-seal-receiving-life-saving-care-at-the-marine-mammal-center","label":"Press Release","date":"2023-05-03 02:59:00"}
Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal Receiving Life-Saving Care at The Marine Mammal Center
May 3, 2023
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-fluke-shutterstock-186-2-2129-1663-1659123185.jpg","alt":"gray whale tail seen above water as animal dives","title":"San Francisco Chronicle: Gray Whale Busts Record for Most Time Spent in San Francisco Bay","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/san-francisco-chronicle-gray-whale-busts-record-for-most-time-spent-in-san-francisco-bay","label":"In the News","date":"2023-04-21 02:00:00"}
San Francisco Chronicle: Gray Whale Busts Record for Most Time Spent in San Francisco Bay
April 21, 2023
Read Moreentanglement
Kathi George
Humpback Whale