Overview

• Five gray whales washed up dead over the past week, bringing the Bay Area toll to 14 so far in 2025.
• Photo-identification efforts have recorded 33 individual gray whales in the bay this year, compared with just four in 2024.
• Advanced decomposition and challenging site access have hampered necropsies, though three whales showed signs of vessel strikes.
• Researchers reported record-low calf counts in Southern California feeding grounds earlier this year, raising concerns about food shortages.
• California Academy of Sciences, the Marine Mammal Center and the Harbor Safety Committee are coordinating vessel speed advisories and monitoring efforts ahead of the whales’ imminent northward migration.