San Francisco Chronicle: Gray Whale Numbers Plunge Almost 40% Along California Coast
- Species conservation
- Climate change
Gray whale numbers plunge almost 40% along California coast
Published in the San Francisco Chronicle: October 7, 2022
The gray whales that are often seen swimming with their calves near Point Reyes or Devil’s Slide in spring are declining in number.
The drop in population is likely due to changes in the amount of food that is available to them in the Arctic, as well as deaths from killer whales and ship strikes, scientists say.
...
That raises concerns for conservationists like Jeff Boehm, chief external relations officer at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.
Our ocean and our marine mammals are sending SOS signals, and we need to listen and do more to address climate change now, not later.
Boehm ... noted that the news about gray whales comes at the 50th anniversary of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. “If ever a headline pointed to the need to utilize all the tools that legislation affords to protect this sentinel species, this is the one.”
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Jeff Boehm
Gray Whale