Pacific gray whales facing ‘catastrophic’ die-off as climate crisis hits food supply
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Trump administration urged to relist a species in ‘very, very serious trouble’ under Endangered Species Act</p><p>Climate change is <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/eastern-north-pacific-gray-whales-continue-decline-after-downturn-during-unusual">driving</a> a gray whale “catastrophic mortality event” in the Pacific Ocean as melting sea ice depletes food sources and the animals starve, <a href="https://peer.org/gray-whales-suffering-catastrophic-mortality-event/">environmental groups warn</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, a range of other issues, like ship strikes, oil spills, microplastic pollution, algal blooms and Russian harvesting are also probably contributing to the die-off that has nearly halved the whales’ estimated population. It fell from 20,000 in 2019 to fewer than 13,000 this year, and the deaths appear to be accelerating.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/10/pacific-gray-whales-population-climate-change">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Trump administration urged to relist a species in ‘very, very serious trouble’ under Endangered Species ActClimate change is driving a gray whale “catastrophic mortality event” in the Pacific Ocean as melting sea ice depletes food sources and the animals starve, environmental groups warn.Meanwhile, a range of other issues, like ship strikes, oil spills, microplastic pollution, algal blooms and Russian harvesting are also probably contributing to the die-off that has nearly halved the whales’ estimated population. It fell from 20,000 in 2019 to fewer than 13,000 this year, and the deaths appear to be accelerating. Continue reading...
Curation & Context
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