18th gray whale washes up dead on California coast -- and experts are stumped

Don Sweeney, The Charlotte Observer on Jun 11, 2025

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A body of a gray whale found on a San Francisco Bay Area beach marks the 18th death of 2025 for the marine mammals in the region, experts reported.

The dead male gray whale washed up at Lands End on Saturday, June 7, the California Academy of Sciences said in a June 9 news release.

No necropsy was performed, so the cause of death remains unknown, the academy said.

It’s the 18th such death reported in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2025, the academy and The Marine Mammal Center reported. One minke whale also died in the Bay Area this year.

Nine whales recently died in the region in about a two-week span, experts said.

Four of the gray whale deaths are suspected to be due to vessel strikes, the academy said.

But experts aren’t sure what’s causing the spike in deaths, which is comparable to the 14 deaths reported in 2019 and 15 deaths reported in 2021.

Researchers have found a rise in reported sightings of gray whales inside San Francisco Bay, with 33 individual whales confirmed by photo identification, the academy said.

“By comparison, only six gray whales were sighted in the bay in 2024,” the academy said in the release.

The whales also are spending more time in the bay, with one-third staying at least 20 days, experts said.

“It is expected that gray whales will be in the bay for another one to two weeks before continuing their annual northern migration to arctic feeding grounds,” the academy said in the release.

What to know about gray whales

Adult gray whales can reach up to 49 feet in length and weigh up to 90,000 pounds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

They make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, moving up to 14,000 miles round-trip each year. They are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

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