In 2019, gray whales inexplicably began to die by the scores along the Pacific coast.
By the end of the year, whale watchers and government scientists were stunned that hundreds were perishing, still with no clear cause. In San Francisco Bay, where I live, 34 had died. That was when Carolyn Cole and I set out to find answers.
Originally, we had a plan to follow the whales on their yearly migration, starting in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, where these whales appear every spring to bask and reproduce in warm, protected inlets. Then we would work our way north up the coast.
Gray whale deaths: How humans and climate change hurt oceans latimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from latimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ella Mace Keener passed away 2021-05-22 in Florida. This is the full obituary story where you can express condolences and share memories. Services by Arr Keener.
3 more dead gray whales reported in San Francisco Bay this week By Tara Duggan
In a disturbing pattern going back to early April, three more dead gray whales have been sighted in the San Francisco Bay in the past week.
The whale carcasses were spotted in Tiburon, the Port of Oakland and Angel Island State Park, but unlike previous whale sightings, none were accessible enough for scientists to determine the cause of death.
Since the beginning of April, four previous gray whale deaths and one fin whale death have been reported in San Francisco Bay, according to the Marine Mammal Center, the Marin County veterinary hospital whose scientists perform necropsies on the large animals. They determined that three of those whales died from ship strike injuries while the cause of death for the other two could not determined.
3 more dead gray whales reported in San Francisco Bay this week
FacebookTwitterEmail
1of3
A dead gray whale in the surf line at Angel Island State Park on Tuesday.Marine Mammal CenterShow MoreShow Less
2of3
A dead gray whale adjacent to a boat pier at the Port of Oakland on Tuesday.Marine Mammal CenterShow MoreShow Less
3of3
A dead gray whale at Lime Point in Sausalito on May 3.Bill KeenerShow MoreShow Less
In a disturbing pattern going back to early April, three more dead gray whales have been sighted in the San Francisco Bay in the past week.
The whale carcasses were spotted in Tiburon, the Port of Oakland and Angel Island State Park, but unlike previous whale sightings, none were accessible enough for scientists to determine the cause of death.