Six Gray Whales Found Dead in San Francisco Bay Area Amid Surge in Sightings
Six gray whales have been found dead in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past week, officials confirmed Wednesday, during a year marked by an unusually high number of whale sightings in the region.
According to the California Academy of Sciences, the whales were discovered between May 21 and May 28. The most recent carcass was found Wednesday, washed ashore at Point Reyes National Seashore. Two others were discovered on Monday—one near Alcatraz Island and another at Point Bonita.
In most cases, necropsies (animal autopsies) have not been performed, the academy said. A partial necropsy conducted on a yearling gray whale found in Bolinas did not reveal a conclusive cause of death. Results are still pending for the whale examined on Wednesday.
The spike in deaths coincides with an increase in the number of gray whales entering the bay, though the reasons behind both trends remain unclear.
“That is the open question—the why,” said Giancarlo Rulli, spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, in an interview with NBC Bay Area. “Why are so many whales dying, and why are we seeing more live whales in San Francisco Bay than we’ve seen in at least two decades, if not ever?”
So far in 2025, 14 gray whales and one minke whale have died in the greater Bay Area. Of those, three deaths have been linked to boat strikes, according to the academy.
Researchers report a significant rise in whale sightings this year: 33 gray whales have been seen in the bay, compared with just six in 2024. Some of the animals appeared healthy, while others showed signs of malnourishment.
“The cause—or causes—behind this surge in whale presence and mortality are still under investigation,” the academy said. It added that gray whales are expected to remain in the bay for another one to two weeks before continuing their migration north to Arctic feeding grounds.
Gray whales once populated waters across the Northern Hemisphere but are now commonly found only in the North Pacific, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These whales undertake an annual 10,000-mile round-trip migration between feeding and breeding areas.
Known for their curiosity around boats, gray whales are frequently seen during whale-watching tours. They can grow up to 49 feet long and weigh as much as 90,000 pounds.
The NMFS notes that collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear remain among the most significant threats to gray whales, particularly during their long migratory journeys.
