Gray whales dying in Pacific due to climate change and food scarcity
Gray whales off the U.S. West Coast are experiencing a catastrophic mortality event, with nearly 150 carcasses found on beaches in 2025 alone. The population declined almost 30% between 2019 and 2023, from 20,500 to 14,526, and an estimated 2,500 to 8,000 whales died between 2025 and 2026. The primary cause is human-caused climate change reducing Arctic sea ice, which diminishes the amphipod prey the whales feed on. Hungry whales are detouring into dangerous areas like San Francisco Bay, where they face ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement. The nonprofit PEER and marine ecologist Rick Steiner urge relisting gray whales under the Endangered Species Act to provide NOAA with management tools. Short-term threats include ship strikes, oil spills, entanglement, algal blooms, microplastics, ocean noise, and Russian harvest. California has voluntary ship-speed reduction zones, and other states are considering similar measures.
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