A deadly year on the coast
Gray whales are dying in large numbers along the Pacific coast of North America. At least 145 carcasses have been found on beaches this year, including 13 in Alaska. Scientists say the real toll is higher, because many dead whales sink to the ocean floor and are never seen.
NOAA Fisheries has documented 56 gray whale strandings in the United States this year. Combined with strandings in Mexico and Canada, the total reached 123 whales by late spring. The deaths spiked during the long migration north.
Hunger in a warming Arctic
The most common finding among examined whales is malnutrition. Many of the whales are thin, with little body fat. Experts believe the cause is a shortage of food in Arctic waters, where warming seas have disrupted the tiny crustaceans gray whales feed on.
Gray whales spend winters in the warm lagoons of Baja Mexico. Each spring they migrate thousands of miles to summer feeding grounds in the Arctic Ocean. This year, many whales did not survive the journey. Some also showed signs of internal trauma consistent with vessel strikes.
An unusual mortality event
Marine researchers have declared an unusual mortality event, a formal status that triggers extra investigation. Conservation groups call the die-off catastrophic. Last year, 179 gray whales were found dead on the coast. The record year was 2019, when 122 whales were reported dead in U.S. waters alone.
If the current trend continues, 2026 could rank among the deadliest years for whales on the West Coast. The Center for Biological Diversity is urging the U.S. Coast Guard to impose a mandatory 10-knot speed limit in areas with heavy whale traffic. The group also supports wider use of fishing gear designed without ropes that can entangle whales. Researchers say the deaths are a warning about the health of the ocean food web as the Arctic warms.