Record Number of Dead Whales Washing Up on West Coast: What to Know
A record number of dead gray whales have washed up along the West Coast, particularly in Washington and Oregon, signaling ongoing threats to the species. Researchers attribute the strandings to malnutrition linked to a collapsing Arctic food chain and worsening ocean conditions. The gray whale population has declined sharply since 2019, and while signs of stabilization emerged in 2024, recent events renew concerns about their recovery.
- ▪The Eastern North Pacific gray whale population dropped from about 27,000 in 2019 to 13,000 by 2023 during a federally declared Unusual Mortality Event.
- ▪Cascadia Research Collective reported 16 dead gray whales in Washington as of April 28, the highest number in five decades.
- ▪Malnutrition is the primary cause of death, though some whales showed signs of vessel strikes or entanglement.
- ▪Climate change is disrupting the Arctic food web that gray whales depend on, particularly due to sea ice loss affecting amphipod populations.
- ▪NOAA and Oregon State University are studying how warming waters and shifting feeding grounds contribute to whale die-offs.
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By Hollie SilvermanDeputy Weekend EditorShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Dead gray whales are turning up along the Pacific Northwest at the highest rate in decades, with 16 strandings in Washington and multiple carcasses in Oregon this spring, a pattern researchers say reflects a collapsing Arctic food chain and worsening ocean conditions.Federal and regional researchers say the whales are arriving to the region with their fat reserves exhausted before they reach the midpoint of their annual migration from Baja to the Arctic."The alarmingly high number of gray whale strandings in Washington has continued throughout April," the Cascadia Research Collective…
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