Pacific gray whales face 'catastrophic' die-off as climate crisis hits food supply

Environmental groups warn that climate change is causing a 'catastrophic mortality event' for Pacific gray whales, as melting sea ice depletes their food sources and the animals starve. The crisis is compounded by other threats such as ship strikes, oil spills, microplastic pollution, algal blooms, and Russian hunting, which have nearly halved the whale population. It dropped from 20,000 in 2019 to fewer than 13,000 this year, with deaths appearing to accelerate.

Advocacy groups have petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to relist the gray whale under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which would mitigate some problems, but approval is unlikely as the Trump administration rolls back wildlife protections. Rick Steiner, an Alaska marine ecologist and chair of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), said the whales are in 'very, very serious trouble.' 'The stranding numbers last year and this year are enormous compared to their annual average,' he added.

The gray whales, which migrate annually from Baja California to Alaska to feed, nearly went extinct in the 1970s but rebounded due to strong conservation. They were delisted from the ESA in 1994, which Steiner called a 'colossal mistake.' Estimates for 2026 indicate 2,500 to 8,000 whales have died so far, meeting the criteria for a catastrophic mortality event. Determining exact numbers is difficult because only stranded whales can be counted. The average annual stranding from 2006 to 2023 was 43, but rose to 179 in 2025. In the first half of this year, 146 carcasses have been directly counted. Scientific literature estimates that the ratio of unobserved to observed mortalities for gray whales is between 7-to-1 and 25-to-1.

Steiner noted that stranded whales are emaciated, and the scientific consensus is that they are starving due to loss of food access driven by dramatic sea ice reduction around Alaska. NOAA marine biologist David Weller said in a release that the environment may be changing too fast for the population to rebound. Some stranded whales show signs of ship strikes, and Indigenous groups in Russia hunt the whales, killing up to 40 annually, ostensibly for subsistence but the meat is fed to cattle, according to Steiner. The Trump administration is also increasing oil drilling in the region, adding more pollution and threats.

Steiner said state and federal governments can act. NOAA's response to the petition to relist the gray whale under ESA is due in about a month. If the Trump administration ignores or rejects it, Peer will sue. Steiner expressed hope that the gray whale's dire situation and popularity on the US West Coast might lead to it being the first species listed under this administration. California has voluntary ship speed reduction zones in areas with high gray whale concentrations, which have reduced ship strike deaths by about 50%. Oregon, Washington, and Alaska have not implemented similar programs due to shipping industry opposition, but advocates are pushing for action. 'If you lose thousands of whales in two years – that should concern everyone,' Steiner concluded.