Pacific gray whales facing ‘catastrophic’ die-off as climate crisis hits food supply | Whales

climate change driving a car The “catastrophic mortality event” that occurred in the gray whale in the Pacific Ocean due to melting sea ice, depletion of food resources and starvation of animals, Environmental groups warn.

Meanwhile, a host of other problems, including ship strikes, oil spills, microplastic pollution, algal blooms and Russian harvesting, are also likely contributing to the die-off, which has nearly halved the whales’ estimated population. The number has fallen from 20,000 in 2019 to less than 13,000 this year, and deaths appear to be accelerating.

Environmental groups petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) to relist the gray whale under the Endangered Species Act (ESA); This could alleviate some of the problems, but it’s a long shot to be approved once the Trump administration takes steps to protect wildlife.

Rick Steiner, an Alaskan marine ecologist and Peer’s board president, said whales face a “very, very serious problem.”

“The stranded figures last year and this year are huge compared to their annual average,” Steiner said. “Stranding” is the name given to whales that wash ashore.

Gray whales, which travel from Baja California to Alaska each year to feed, were driven to the brink of extinction in the 1970s but have rebounded after strong conservation efforts. They were removed from the ESA in 1994, which Steiner called a “colossal mistake”.

The predictions are very dire for 2026; It is estimated that between 2,500 and 8,000 whales have died so far this year, meeting the criteria for a “catastrophic mortality event.”

It is difficult to determine an exact number because marine biologists can only count stranded whales. Average annual number of gray whale strandings From 2006 to 2023, this number was 43, and in 2025 it increased to 179. In the first half of this year, 146 whale carcasses were directly counted.

scientific literature predictions For gray whales, the ratio between unobserved offshore or submerged deaths and observed deaths on land is between 7 to 1 and 25 to 1.

Steiner said the beached whales were emaciated and the scientific consensus was that they were starving due to loss of access to food sources caused by the dramatic reduction in sea ice around Alaska due to climate change.

Noaa marine biologist David Weller said in an agency statement that although whales have been resilient in the past, the evidence points to a dire situation.

“The environment may now be changing at a rate or in ways that test the ability of the population to recover quickly as it adapts to a new ecological regime,” Weller said.

Some stranded marine mammals show signs of being hit by ships and their propellers, and indigenous peoples in Russia hunt whales, killing up to 40 people a year. Groups claim the hunt is for subsistence, but the whale meat is actually fed to cattle, Steiner said.

In addition, the Trump administration’s increase in oil drilling in the region creates more pollution and threats.

State and federal governments could take action, Steiner said. Steiner said Noaa’s response to the petition to relist gray whales under the ESA would be available in about a month, and if the Trump administration ignores it or denies the request, Peer will sue. The second Trump administration has so far not added any animals to the endangered or threatened list and has taken unprecedented steps to eliminate the ESA.

Steiner said the science is very clear on the issue and whales are “extremely” popular in the western United States, so he’s hopeful the gray whale will be the administration’s first listing.

“Gray whales are in a difficult situation, I hope they see that and that might be the first thing they list,” Steiner said.

California has ship speed reduction zones in areas known to have higher concentrations of gray whales, and although the program is voluntary, many ships reduce their speeds and some station lookouts keep an eye out for whales, Steiner said. These reduced deaths from whaling ship attacks in the region by approximately 50%.

Oregon, Washington and Alaska have not implemented similar programs due to opposition from the maritime industry, but advocates are pushing for action, Steiner said.

“If you lose thousands of whales in two years, that should concern everyone,” Steiner said.