Melting Arctic sea ice spurs gray whale die-off along West Coast

Researchers in the calving lagoons of Mexico reported gray whales arriving from their Arctic feeding grounds skinny and hungry. Calf counts were also among the lowest recorded. (Steven Swartz / Gray Whale Research in Mexico)

Gray whales, a signature of the Washington coast, are dying by the thousands, victims of declines in Arctic sea ice.

Boom-and-bust cycles of gray whale populations are normal. But for the first time since the Eastern North Pacific population has been monitored over the past five decades, scientists are seeing not a cycle of loss and recovery, but continued decline in the population by more than 40% over the past 10 years.

The Seattle Times | April 21, 2025
By Lynda V. Mapes