Pacific gray whales are washing ashore in alarming numbers this year, raising concerns about the species’ future and prompting marine advocates to call for renewed federal protections. The deaths represent the latest chapter in a troubling population decline linked directly to climate change and its cascading effects on Arctic ecosystems.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 145 Pacific gray whales have been found dead on beaches so far this year, including 13 in Alaska. While this is a slight improvement from last year’s 179 strandings, the ongoing crisis underscores a larger pattern of decline. The eastern North Pacific population of gray whales has plummeted dramatically, dropping from approximately 27,000 animals a decade ago to around 13,000 today—less than half its former size.

Gray whales were delisted from endangered species protection in 1994, later rising to a peak abundance of about 27,000 whales around 2016. They have since declined, with NOAA Fisheries declaring an unusual mortality event in response to elevated strandings from 2019 to 2023. Estimated calf production has remained low since the start of the UME. Note: No calf data was recorded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rick Steiner, a retired University of Alaska marine conservation professor, emphasizes that these numbers tell only part of the story. “There is a high mortality rate, and of course, the ones that wash ashore are only maybe 10 percent of the whales that are dying,” he explained. This means the actual death toll could be ten times higher than reported strandings suggest, painting an even grimmer picture of the population’s decline.

The crisis intensified during what scientists call an “unusual mortality event” between 2019 and 2023. During that five-year period, 690 gray whales washed ashore as their population declined sharply. Investigations revealed that starvation and vessel strikes were common causes of death, but the underlying factor pointed to something larger: the disruption of Arctic food webs caused by climate change.

Gray whales undertake one of nature’s most remarkable migrations, traveling thousands of miles from breeding grounds in Baja California to the Arctic each spring. There, during summer months, they feast on tiny crustaceans found at the ocean bottom. This abundant food source is essential for their survival and reproduction. However, climate change is dismantling this food chain from the bottom up.

As Arctic sea ice melts in spring, algae that thrives on the ice surface suddenly drops to the sea floor. This algae feeds amphipods—small crustaceans that form the foundation of the whales’ diet. As Arctic sea ice continues shrinking due to warming temperatures, the abundance of these crucial organisms diminishes proportionally. Whales arriving at their traditional feeding grounds increasingly find themselves in a food desert, leading to starvation and weakened populations unable to reproduce successfully.

Despite the dire situation, some scientists and whale advocates suggest the whales may be adapting. In recent years, coastal waters near Kodiak and Sitka have witnessed substantially higher numbers of gray whales than historically observed—hundreds instead of dozens. Researchers suspect these whales are desperately searching for alternative food sources. Steiner notes preliminary evidence that gray whales can shift their diet from benthic amphipods living in seabed sediment to small fishes like Arctic cod in the water column.

However, dietary flexibility may not be sufficient to ensure the species’ recovery. Steiner and other advocates are pushing for more substantial action: relisting the gray whale under the Endangered Species Act. The species was removed from the list in 1994 when the population appeared to be recovering. Today, Steiner argues that relisting would provide crucial management tools and legal protections necessary for the species to survive this climate-driven crisis.

Last August, Steiner filed a petition with NOAA requesting relisting. Typically, the agency has 90 days to decide whether to pursue listing, but nearly a year has passed without a decision. Michael Milstein, a NOAA Fisheries spokesperson, stated that the agency continues evaluating the petition but has not established a timeline for its decision.

The delay troubles Steiner, who warns that if NOAA doesn’t propose relisting the species within the next month, the matter will likely end up in court. This legal battle could determine whether gray whales receive the intensive management and protections their precarious situation demands as they navigate an increasingly hostile Arctic environment transformed by climate change.

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