The three dead whales found in San Francisco Bay at the beginning of May all belonged to the decreasing West Coast population of gray whales.
The first one had been roaming the Bay for more than a month while the Marine Mammal Centre monitored the concerningly underweight animal. On April 27th, he was found dead in Keil Cove. The other two were washed up only few days later: one in the Port of Oakland on May 3rd, and one at Angel Island State Park on May 4th. Though experts were not able to conduct necropsies on any of the carcasses, samples were collected to understand more about the causes of death.
These three animals add to the total of now nine dead whales washed up in San Francisco Bay this year. Experts have witnessed a higher frequency of gray whales in the area over the past few years, putting them at an increased risk of human activity. Accordingly, the main causes of death in the animals were entanglement, trauma from ship strikes, and malnutrition.
The gray whales’ increasing interest in the area portrays an opposing trend to their sharply decreasing population along the West Coast. Why the whales have been frequenting San Francisco Bay more during the last years is still unknown.
The full article can be found here: San Francisco Bay, CA three dead gray whales found washed up | Charlotte Observer