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Bloody School Break-In + Flights Grounded + Decades-High Whale Deaths: NorCal In Brief
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, JUL 20 – At least seven gray whales have died from suspected vessel strikes this year amid a 45% population decline since 2019, researchers say.
- Researchers have recorded 21 gray whale fatalities this year near San Francisco, marking the highest total since 2000, with the most recent discovered on July 7 in Richmond.
- This spike follows a sharp decline of 45% in North Pacific gray whale populations from 2019 to 2023 due to an unusual mortality event linked to disrupted Arctic food chains.
- The Richmond whale, a subadult female in good condition, was suspected to have died from a vessel strike and was towed to Angel Island for study.
- Kathi George from the Marine Mammal Center warned, "If you see a blow, go slow," and noted signs of concern for this population's future viability.
- The rising deaths suggest ongoing risks to gray whales and underline the need for cautious vessel operation and monitoring amid changing ocean conditions caused by climate change.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Spiking whale deaths in San Francisco have marine biologists worried
Marine biologists are sounding the warning bells over an alarming trend in the San Francisco Bay Area: Whales are dying at an unprecedented level in the city's waters. While whales have always died in the San Francisco Bay Area, the number of deaths has reached a fever point, with 2025 already seeing more dead whales than any year in the past quarter century. And scientists are concerned about what this could mean for both the whales and San Fra…
Nearly two dozen whales have died off the coast of the San Francisco Bay Area in recent months, ABC reports. The phenomenon may be part of a larger process that has been going on since 2019. According to the California Academy of Sciences, the bodies of 19 gray whales, one minke whale and two unidentified sperm whales have been found so far this year. In the case of at least seven gray whales, a collision with a ship is suspected to have been th…
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