Two more grey whales have been found dead along Washington’s coastlines this month, bringing the total up to 27 that have washed ashore in our state alone this year.
According to the Cascadia Research Collective, one of the whales was reported on June 1 at Point Grenville, and the other on June 7 at Olympic National Park, near Ruby Beach. The 27th whale also marks the fourth dead whale found at an Olympic National Park beach this year.
As of May 27, at least 122 grey whales have been found dead and stranded along the West Coast this year, according to a report from Marine Mammal Coordinator Paul Cottrell with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. That includes 55 in the U.S., 59 in Mexico, and 8 in Canada.
Marine biologists say many of the dead whales appear to have died from starvation. They migrate every spring from warmer waters near the equator to feeding grounds in Alaska, but researchers say they’re likely running out of stored energy before they can finish the trip. Scientists are linking their malnutrition to shrinking food supplies in Alaska and the Arctic.
To learn more about whale strandings along the West Coast, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s (NOAA) West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network. To report a dead, injured, or stranded marine mammal along the West Coast, call 866-767-6114.