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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
dead gray whale washed up on a sandy beach
In the News

LA Times: Something is Killing Gray Whales. Is it a Sign of Oceans in Peril?

August 5, 2021
  • Malnutrition
  • Pathology
  • Climate change

Something is killing gray whales. Is it a sign of oceans in peril?

Published in the LA Times: August 5, 2021

For thousands of years, the gray whales of the eastern Pacific have undertaken one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal — starting in the cold waters of the Arctic, then down past the densely populated coasts and beaches of California before finally finding refuge in the warm, shallow estuaries of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Only to turn around and head back north a few weeks later.

Starting in December 2018, this magnificent migration took a fatal turn.

Read the story

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malnutrition
pathology
climate change
Bill Keener
Gray Whale