Researchers have reported that malnutrition is the primary cause of a record-breaking number of gray whale deaths along the Northwest coast this year. Twenty-two gray whales have been discovered dead on beaches in the region and along Washington's Puget Sound, surpassing the number of strandings recorded at the same point in 2019, which was previously a record year.
Malnutrition Identified as Key Factor
Experts from Cascadia Research Collective and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have examined the whales and found that malnutrition is the most common finding. They attribute this to climate change affecting the Arctic, which serves as the whales' primary feeding ground. Rising temperatures, increasing ocean acidity, and shifting oceanographic patterns are reducing the availability of the whales' prey.
Threats to Gray Whales
Gray whales in Washington are classified as "sensitive," meaning they are vulnerable or declining and face a high risk of becoming endangered or threatened within the state. Besides malnutrition, other significant threats include entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris, ship strikes—which have caused at least four deaths this year—and human-generated marine noise.
The record number of strandings highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these marine mammals from the compounded effects of climate change and human activities.
