There’s good news for whale lovers on the Oregon coast. The number of gray whales that migrated south along the Pacific Coast this winter have rebounded sharply to numbers not seen in four years, according to the fisheries unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. The increase is large enough and signs […] The post NOAA researchers announce 33% increase in gray whale numbers, end investigation into die-off appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Five years ago, a troubling phenomenon struck the grey whale population along the U.S. West Coast: hundreds of dead whales began washing ashore, extending from Alaska to Mexico. This "unusual mortality event," as it was termed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, seemed to spell a dismal future for these marine giants. Today, however,…
Federal researchers indicate the gray whale population along the West Coast is showing signs of recovery five years after hundreds washed up dead on beaches from Alaska to Mexico. The increase in population numbers comes after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association determined in November that the “unusual mortality event” that began in 2019 has ended. “It’s nice to be able to report some good news the last couple of years,” Aimee Lang, a research biologist with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, told The Seattle Times.