three extra useless grey whales noticed in San Francisco Bay Space
SAUSALITO, Calif. (AP) – Three more dead whales have been spotted in San Francisco Bay in the past few days, making a total of eight this year, experts said on Friday.
The gray whales were found washed ashore in Tiburon on April 27, in Oakland Harbor on Monday, and in Angel Island State Park north of San Francisco on Tuesday, according to the Marine Mammal Center.
The Tiburon whale, which later drifted into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, had previously been seen alive but was underweight. According to the mammal center, the animal appeared to have spent 47 days scouting the bay before dying.
Tissue samples were taken from the three whales, but scientists were unable to perform autopsies to determine how the whales died because the carcasses were in locations that were unsafe, inaccessible, or with changing tides, the center said.
Four more gray whales have been found dead in the Bay Area since early April, along with a fin whale. A dwarf sperm whale was found on a Sonoma County beach in February.
“Malnutrition, entanglement and trauma from ship attacks have been the leading causes of whale deaths studied by the center’s research team in recent years,” the center said.
According to experts, about 20,000 gray whales migrate from Baja California, Mexico to the arctic summer foraging areas near Alaska.
In recent years, the migratory whales appear to be making extended stops in the Bay Area, said Kathi George, director of field operations at the mammal center.
“These whales are at increased risk from human activity,” she said. “That’s why we’re striving to better understand the ongoing challenges and threats these animals face so we can safely share the ocean and bay with them.”
Five dead gray whales were found in the Bay Area from March to May last year, while 13 were found in 2019.
Since 2019, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been investigating what it calls an unusual mortality event due to higher numbers of gray whale stranding in poor body condition across their migratory area, according to the Mammal Center.
