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Newsweek
3 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Scientists Investigate as Whale Deaths Surge in San Francisco Bay
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A total of 15 whales, including 14 gray whales and one minke whale, have died so far in 2025, according to a joint press release from California Academy of Sciences and the Marine Mammal Center. "The reason or potential reasons behind the massive spike in sightings this year are still being investigated by researchers," the release said. The latest death, a gray whale found in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, marked the sixth whale death in as many days. Newsweek reached out via email to the California Academy of Sciences and the Marine Mammal Center on Saturday during non-working hours for more information. Why It Matters There has been "unusually high number of sightings" of whales in the region this year but there has also been an increase in deaths. The whale population has seen a 45 percent decrease since the 2019- 2023 Unusual Mortality Event (UME), according to the release. A record-low number of newborn whales was also seen this year, causing concern among researchers for the long-term outlook for the North Pacific gray whales, following the second UME in a 20-year period. "These whales basically left the Arctic with a half tank," Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, recently told about the other deceased whales discovered in the region. "The food sources that they were normally accustomed to eating that were highly nutritious for this massive, 10,000–12,000-mile journey, had moved farther away due to climate change, and as a result, these whales were left to forage on food matter that was much less nutritious." What To Know The whale on Wednesday was found near the Alamere Falls in Point Reyes National Seashore, the joint release said, which is about 30 miles northwest of San Francisco. While some of the deceased mammals have been necropsied, others have either been too far decomposed or stranded in areas that are inaccessible, making it difficult to pin these deaths on one similar cause. While it is not unusual to see whales in the region as they migrate, the number of deaths is the highest it has been, including in 2019 when 14 whales were found deceased in the UME, according to the release. The number of deaths currently matches the record of 15 for all of 2021, the release said. At least three of these deaths have been attributed to suspected vessel strikes, but others remain undetermined. The whales that have been spotted alive have been observed to be either regular size or emaciated. There are a total of 33 confirmed gray whale sightings in the San Francisco Bay this year, compared to only six seen last year, with about a third of those whales remaining in the bay for about 20 days. Whale carcasses have been found as far north as Alamere Falls, as far west as Farallon Islands and as inland as Berkeley. Beachgoers look at a dead juvenile Humpback Whale that washed up on Baker Beach on April 21, 2020, in San Francisco. Beachgoers look at a dead juvenile Humpback Whale that washed up on Baker Beach on April 21, 2020, in San Francisco. Photo byWhat People Are Saying The California Academy of Sciences and partners at The Marine Mammal Center said in the press release: "With San Francisco Bay serving as a shared space for commerce and increased gray whale activity, experts at the Academy and the Center note it's vital that all boaters—from large commercial vessels to sailboats—be 'whale aware' and continue to slow down. Gray whales often have a very low profile in the water that can make them difficult to sight, unlike other coastal whales like humpback whales." What Happens Next The results of the necropsy on the whale found on Wednesday are still pending, complicated by a number of factors due to "inaccessible locations that hinder full post-mortem investigations, as well as poor tissue quality from advanced decomposition, and the lack of available locations to tow for further investigation." Meanwhile, the whales that are alive are expected to be in "the bay for another one to two weeks before continuing their annual northern migration to arctic feeding grounds," according to the release. If people do see whales, they can report them through an app called Whale Alert or the Marine Mammal Center website. Sightings of dead whales should be reported to the Academy's department of Ornithology and Mammalogy.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Six dead gray whales found in San Francisco Bay area in the last week
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. 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. "The reason or potential reasons behind the massive spike in sightings this year are still being investigated by researchers," the academy said. "It is expected that gray whales will be in the bay for another one to two weeks before continuing their annual northern migration to arctic feeding grounds." Gray whales used to be common in waters throughout the Northern Hemisphere but are now regularly found only in the North Pacific Ocean, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They travel around 10,000 miles in an annual round-trip migration, it said. Gray whales are known to be curious around boats, which means they are often seen on whale-watching trips, the agency said. They can grow to around 49 feet long and weigh about 90,000 pounds. Because of the long migration, the whales are sometimes hit by vessels and entangled in fishing gear, which are among their top threats, the fisheries service says. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why are so many dead whales washing up in the Bay?
(KRON) — There is a growing crisis facing whales in the Bay Area. In the last few weeks, nearly half a dozen whales have been found dead in and around the San Francisco Bay. Now experts are sounding the alarm and alerting the public that they can help. 'In one necropsy, the whale died of a boat strike,' said Giancarlo Rulli with the Marine Mammal Center. On Friday, Rulli said the center along with researchers are working feverishly with boat services like ferries, recreation and cargo container pilots to get the word out about the migrating whales. With commercial Dungeness crab season along the Bay Area coast going through May 1, whales in the area are at risk of entanglement. Latest tech layoffs hit Meta's Reality Labs division 'We know that research shows many whales are dying in Baja,' said Rulli. According to Rulli, one way the public can help is by alerting experts of a whale sighting so that scientists can go see if there is trouble before the whale goes into distress. The Marine Mammal Center reported 11 live whales inside the Bay one week ago. An app is available for those who want to help whales. 'This is the way to help, the app is called Whale Alert,' Rulli said. Rulli also says that besides whales getting impacted by water hazards, the melting of ice depleting fish supply is also problematic. 'Whales are starving,' he said. Whales, Rulli said, serve a vital role in the bigger picture. 'They are the ambassadors, if they are dying then oceans will be impacted and a lot of other life as well,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
23-04-2025
- General
- USA Today
Fifth whale found dead in waters of San Francisco Bay within a month
Fifth whale found dead in waters of San Francisco Bay within a month The death comes weeks after a rare minke whale was discovered in the bay and later euthanized. Show Caption Hide Caption Whale remains wash up at San Francisco's Crissy Field The remains of a gray whale spotted in Northern California on Friday are those of a whale that was initially spotted dead last week, officials say. Fox - Ktvu Another dead whale was discovered in the waters of the San Francisco Bay, the fifth creature found in the area in less than a month, officials said. The female gray whale drifted overnight on April 20 and was spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard near the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, the next day, Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marin County, California-based Marine Mammal Center, told USA TODAY. The whale marks the fourth dead gray whale and fifth whale overall to wash up in the San Francisco Bay this year, according to the Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences. The latest whale death also comes about two weeks after a rare minke whale was discovered in the bay and later euthanized, officials said. The minke whale was found offshore near the city of Emeryville on April 7 in poor health, with skin peeling and a reddish hue across its back due to severe sunburn. It also struggled to breathe as it tried to navigate the waters, the Mammal Center said. It was euthanized on April 8. 'A difficult decision': Rare minke whale euthanized in San Francisco after being stranded Necropsies show that two of the three gray whales discovered before the latest deaths were in good condition, but one whale had six fractured vertebrae, likely due to being struck by a passing vessel. The fourth dead gray whale was privately towed on April 22 to Angel Island State Park, where a necropsy will be performed, Nulli said. Meanwhile, officials are still looking into other causes for the other whales' deaths, including malnutrition, according to Rulli. The previous gray whale strandings in the bay this year occurred between March 30 and April 4. "While the number of gray whale strandings has surpassed last year's totals in the Bay Area, they are in line with what we saw at the tail end of the mortality event in 2022 and 2023 at this point in the year," Rulli said. More: 29-foot-long humpback whale found dead on South Carolina 'met some trauma' before death Whale deaths are occurring during a large migration season Between March and May, gray whales migrate from Mexico, where they breed and give birth, up north through the San Francisco Bay. They eventually make their way to Alaska and parts of the Arctic, where they go to feed, officials said. Prior to 2018, whales typically avoided going through busy waters in the bay, as they put their lives at greater risk sharing the water with passing ferries, tankers and other large ships. But in recent years, officials have observed that "some are passing through to stay for a couple of days, some are staying for a couple of months. Some of them have good body condition, some do not," said Rulli. He added that gray whales "are still in a proverbial rut from losing 40% plus of their population" between 2019 and 2023. The gray whale population was around 19,260 in the latest count during the 2023-24 winter season, Michael Milstein, a public affairs officer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) West Coast Regional Office, told USA TODAY on April 22. "We will have an updated count soon from this past winter, but it is still a few weeks away," Milstein said. "We expect, based on information from the lagoons in Mexico, where many spend the winter, that the updated count will be lower." Milstein added that the gray whale population has varied within the past 10 years from as many as 27,000 during the 2015-16 winter season to about 14,500 in 2022-23. Gray whales travel more than 10,000 miles round-trip every year, one of the longest wildlife migrations, Milstein added. "In recent years, we have seen several gray whales enter the Bay each year, perhaps looking for a breather from their migration as a place to temporarily rest or feed. Some of them may die in the Bay, especially if they had not consumed enough food in their Arctic feeding grounds during the previous summer," Milstein said. "That can leave them without enough energy to complete the full round-trip. That was certainly the case during the unusual mortality event from 2018 to 2023, which brought increased strandings of gray whales" he added. That so-called "unusual mortality event" involved 690 gray whale strandings, including 347 in the United States, 316 in Mexico, and 27 in Canada, NOAA reported. A joint investigation with NOAA and other agencies concluded the preliminary cause of the event was due to "localized ecosystem changes in the whale's Subarctic and Arctic feeding areas that led to changes in food, malnutrition, decreased birth rates and increased mortality."
Newsweek
21-04-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Cluster of Whale Deaths in California Raise Concerns: 'Quite Unusual'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Four dead whales were found around San Francisco Bay over two weeks, alarming some scientists and reigniting memories of previous high-mortality events. Experts say while the clustering of deaths is unusual, the overall number is not outside the normal range for this time of year. Why It Matters The rapid succession of strandings has stirred memories of April 2021, when four gray whales also died in the Bay Area within nine days. That year, scientists cited ship strikes and possibly starvation as causes. Gray whales are contending with significant ecological stress. Between 2019 and 2023, the species experienced a 40 percent population decline, linked to food scarcity exacerbated by climate change. "These whales basically left the Arctic with a half tank," Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, told of the recently deceased whales. "The food sources that they were normally accustomed to eating that were highly nutritious for this massive, 10,000–12,000-mile journey, had moved farther away due to climate change, and as a result, these whales were left to forage on food matter that was much less nutritious." What to Know The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito confirmed the deaths include three gray whales and one minke whale. The most recent was a juvenile minke that stranded itself repeatedly before being euthanized on April 8 in Emeryville, according to KQED. The whale suffered from severe sunburn and was struggling to breathe. "Our teams have made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize this animal to relieve its suffering," Rulli said. A stock photo of a breaching gray whale in Baja California Sur, Mexico. A stock photo of a breaching gray whale in Baja California Sur, Mexico. izanbar/Getty Other recent fatalities include a gray whale that washed up at Black Sands Beach on March 30, an adult male found east of Angel Island on April 2, and a subadult male that beached near Fort Point Rock Beach on April 4. One of the gray whales had six fractured vertebrae, suggesting a vessel strike, while the causes of death for the others remain unknown. Experts said that the timing of these deaths coincides with gray whale migration season. Each spring, the whales travel north from Mexico to Arctic feeding grounds, often pausing in the Bay Area. Rulli noted that sightings of gray whales have surged around the bay since mid-March, and commercial ferry routes have been adjusted to avoid collisions. He stressed that while the minke and gray whale deaths may appear linked, "the factors involved are suspected to be quite different," according to KQED. Kathi George, director of Cetacean Conservation Biology at the Marine Mammal Center, called the number of deaths "unusual," but told that "it's coincidental that everything happened in a week and a half." What People Are Saying Rulli told Newsweek: "The goal is to investigate potentially why the animal died, but more holistically, try to give a window into understanding not only that individual life but extrapolate it more toward wider information that the individual can yield about the population as a whole. To have three dead gray whales wash ashore in a week's time is quite unusual." Rulli added: "This is a species that is a sentinel for ocean health. They're incredibly resilient animals." Moe Flannery, leader of the marine mammal necropsy team at the California Academy of Sciences, told "Although they seem high because they're concentrated into a short period of time, the numbers of dead and stranded are not any different than the recent previous years." What Happens Next Necropsies are underway to determine the precise causes of the deaths. Scientists are monitoring the situation to assess whether it could signal a new unusual mortality event.
