NBC News: Six dead gray whales found in San Francisco Bay area in the last week
Published by NBC News: May 29, 2025
Six dead gray whales have been found in the area of San Francisco Bay over the last week, officials said Wednesday, in a year when there has been an unusually high number of sightings in the area.
“Why not only are there so many deceased whales in the region, but why has it been a banner year of having more sightings in San Francisco Bay of live whales than we have seen in at least two-plus decades, if ever?”
The gray whales were found dead from May 21 to Wednesday, when one was found washed ashore at Point Reyes National Seashore, the California Academy of Sciences said.
On Monday, two were found the same day — one on Alcatraz and one at Point Bonita, it said.
In most of the cases, no necropsy, which is like an autopsy for an animal, was performed. The partial necropsy for a yearling gray whale found at Bolinas was inconclusive, and results from the necropsy on the whale found Wednesday are pending, the academy said.
The whales have died as an unusually large number of them have been spotted in San Francisco Bay, officials said.
Why the whales died was not clear.
“That is the open question, the why,” Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, told NBC Bay Area this week.
“Why not only are there so many deceased whales in the region, but why has it been a banner year of having more sightings in San Francisco Bay of live whales than we have seen in at least two-plus decades, if ever?”
So far this year 14 gray whales and a minke whale have died in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the academy said, and the deaths of three of them were found to be from boat strikes.
More gray whales have been sighted in the bay this year compared with last, it said — 33, compared with only six in 2024.
Some have looked normal and others emaciated, it said.
Learn More About Our Work Protecting Whales
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":"\/Misc\/Graphics\/calendar-cover-vote-2026.jpg","alt":"2026 marine mammal center calendar cover stars","title":"Vote for Your Favorite Marine Mammal to be 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"}
Vote for Your Favorite Marine Mammal to be the 2026 Calendar Cover Star!
August 4, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/stranded-gray-whale-july-2025.jpg","alt":"stranded gray whale","title":"Scientists respond to dead gray whale in San Francisco Bay as species faces population recovery challenges","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/scientists-respond-to-dead-gray-whale-in-san-francisco-bay-as-species-faces-population-recovery-challenges","label":"Press Release","date":"2025-07-17 02:00:00"}
Scientists respond to dead gray whale in San Francisco Bay as species faces population recovery challenges
July 17, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/cropped-images\/hs-group-with-hats-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-34-0-1270-992-1750873865.jpg","alt":"Four harbor seals with small ID tags on their heads swim in a rehabilitation pool.","title":"How Our Patients are Named and Identified","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/how-our-patients-are-named-and-identified","label":"Patient Update","date":"2025-06-26 02:00:00"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-oreo-by-josie-slaathaug-c-the-marine-mammal-center-108-0-1270-992-1750880575.jpg","alt":"Gray whale fluke above the water","title":"Los Angeles Times: The numbers of gray whales migrating along the California coast continue to plummet","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/los-angeles-times-the-numbers-of-gray-whales-migrating-along-the-california-coast-continue-to-plummet","label":"In the News","date":"2025-06-25 02:00:00"}
Los Angeles Times: The numbers of gray whales migrating along the California coast continue to plummet
June 25, 2025
Read More