
LA Times: Starvation Has Decimated Gray Whales - Can the Giants Ever Recover?
- Malnutrition
- Species conservation
- Pathology
- Climate change
- Population monitoring
Starvation has decimated gray whales off the Pacific Coast. Can the giants ever recover?
Published in the Los Angeles Times: March 27, 2024
When large numbers of gray whales began washing up along North America’s Pacific Coast nearly six years ago, marine scientists could only speculate at the reason: Was it disease? Ocean pollution? Increasing ship collisions?
Many of the doomed cetaceans looked skinny or emaciated, while others looked torn up by orcas. Some had clearly died after being struck by a ship, or getting entangled in fishing gear. Still others provided no discernible clues.
Now — after more than 700 gray whales have washed ashore in Mexico, Canada, California and other U.S. states since late 2018 — new research published Tuesday in PLOS One suggests the culprit was a critical drop in food availability in the mammals’ Arctic and sub-Arctic seafloor feeding grounds.
What remains unclear however is whether this malnutrition was caused by a change in the ocean, or the whales themselves.
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":"\/People\/Action\/Veterinary care\/cropped-images\/dane-whitaker-and-emily-whitmer-vaccine-trial-by-bill-hunnewell-49-0-1270-992-1757364612.jpg","alt":"Two veterinarians collect a blood sample from an elephant seal in a rehabilitation pen.","title":"Bird Flu Vaccine Trial May Offer Hope for Protecting Hawaiian Monk Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/bird-flu-vaccine-trial-may-offer-hope-for-protecting-hawaiian-monk-seals","label":"News Update","date":"2025-09-09 09:13:00"}

Bird Flu Vaccine Trial May Offer Hope for Protecting Hawaiian Monk Seals
September 9, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Elephant seals\/2025\/cropped-images\/es-vaccine-trial-satellite-tag-by-bill-hunnewell-218-0-1270-992-1757432410.jpg","alt":"Northern elephant seal","title":"The New York Times: Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/the-new-york-times-scientists-begin-testing-bird-flu-vaccine-in-seals","label":"In the News","date":"2025-09-09 02:00:00"}

The New York Times: Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals
September 9, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Sea otters\/2025\/cropped-images\/so-mooring-release-2-laurie-miller-c-the-marine-mammal-center-USFWS-permit-MA101713-1-80-0-1270-992-1757003194.jpg","alt":"A southern sea otter rests in the ocean after being released from rehabilitative care.","title":"Entangled in Ocean Trash, Sea Otter Mooring Gets a Second Chance at Life","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/entangled-in-ocean-trash-sea-otter-mooring-gets-a-second-chance-at-life","label":"Patient Update","date":"2025-09-05 02:00:00"}

Entangled in Ocean Trash, Sea Otter Mooring Gets a Second Chance at Life
September 5, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/2025\/cropped-images\/denali-hs-photo-by-clive-beavis-c-the-marine-mammal-center-79-0-1270-992-1756314221.jpg","alt":"2026 marine mammal center calendar cover star","title":"Pacific Harbor Seal Denali Chosen as the 2026 Calendar Cover Star","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/vote-for-your-favorite-marine-mammal-to-be-the-2026-calendar-cover-star","label":"News Update","date":"2025-08-04 02:00:00"}

Pacific Harbor Seal Denali Chosen as the 2026 Calendar Cover Star
August 4, 2025
Read Morespecies conservation
pathology
climate change
population monitoring
Pádraig Duignan
Gray Whale