Gray Whales Entering San Francisco Bay: Why Mortality Rates Are Alarming and What It Means for Their Survival
Nature World News | 21.04.2026 08:13
Gray whales have begun detouring into San Francisco Bay in growing numbers since 2018, a shift linked to climate-driven food shortages in their Arctic habitats. This urban waterway, once rarely visited during their epic migrations, now serves as a risky foraging pit stop where roughly 18-20% of these massive baleen whales fail to survive. Ship strikes amid foggy conditions and heavy vessel traffic through the Golden Gate Strait claim many lives, alongside starvation from depleted blubber reserves.
