Nonilex8h ago

A juvenile #GrayWhale that amazed Washington state residents after it swam 20 miles up a small river was found dead, & an official with a #marine mammal research group suspects #hunger may have driven the whale to new hunting grounds as the species’ population declines.

#science #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #ecosystems #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw
https://apnews.com/article/gray-whale-dies-washington-river-ba070a4060f2f48f0e4533cc14b944b2

Juvenile gray whale found dead in Willapa River, hunger suspected

A juvenile gray whale that swam 20 miles up a river in Washington state has been found dead. A marine mammal research group suspects hunger drove the whale to new hunting grounds. The whale was discovered Saturday in the Willapa River, which feeds into the ocean at Willapa Bay. Gray whales are currently migrating from Mexico to Alaska. Experts say the population of gray whales in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean has faced a crisis due to reduced food availability in the Arctic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries agency declared an unusual mortality event for the whales from late 2018 to late 2023. Their numbers continue to decline.

AP News
Show threadNonilex8h ago

The #whale was discovered Saturday near Raymond, Washington, in the Willapa River, which feeds into the #ocean at Willapa Bay. A number of #GrayWhales are currently in the bay on their 5,000-mile (8,000-kilometer) spring migration from birthing grounds in Baja California, Mexico, north to feeding grounds in Alaska.

#science #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #ecosystems #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw

Show threadNonilex

The larger issue that the population of #GrayWhales in the eastern part of the #PacificOcean has faced since 2019 is reduced #food availability in the northern Bering & Chukchi seas off Alaska’s coast, John Calambokidis, a research biologist with the Cascadia Research Collective, told AP.

“Gray whales are facing a major crisis & the heart of it does seem to be #feeding on their prey in the #Arctic,” he said.

#science #ClimateChange #EndangeredSpecies #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw

2:37pmWeb
Show threadNonilex7h ago

The #NOAA Fisheries agency declared an unusual mortality event for eastern #GrayWhales — meaning those in the eastern #Pacific — from late 2018 to late 2023. It involved 690 gray whale strandings during that time, stretching from Alaska to Mexico.

NOAA Fisheries investigators concluded the preliminary cause was “localized #ecosystem changes in the #whales’ sub-Arctic & #Arctic #feeding areas that led to changes in food, malnutrition, decreased birth rates & increased mortality.”

#Climate #law

Show threadNonilex7h ago

Officials believed the population was rebounding, but the most recent count from 2025 instead showed a continuing decline. The federal agency estimated there were about 13k #GrayWhales, the lowest count since the 1970s.

“A lot of these gray whales are looking very emaciated, very thin,” Calambokidis said.

Their migration north is typically the most challenging period for gray #whales, the longest they’ve gone without eating, forcing the animals to use up their nutritional reserves.

#Climate

Show threadNonilex7h ago

“When that happens, you often see #GrayWhales in a more desperate search for new areas to feed,” Calambokidis said. “That’s the most likely context for this whale.”

Researchers will attempt to examine the whale, possibly as soon as Monday.

#science #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #ecosystems #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw