Gray Whale Sightings Up Off Northwest Coast
Gray whale sightings are up on the Oregon and Washington coast in recent weeks.
Counts at Oregon’s Whale Watching Center at Depoe Bay have been between five and 10 per day, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, although many more pass the along the coast undetected.
Park ranger Luke Parsons says the actual number of whales passing by on their way from Baja to feeding grounds in the Arctic is relatively typical for this time of year.
“What is unusual is how nice the weather has been. And this has led to many people coming out to the coast and being able to see a lot more of these animals than we’re really used to in March,” he said.
But it may not just be the weather.
An American Cetacean Society project in Los Angeles has been tracking the migration for 35 years. Director Alisa Schulman-Janiger says there was a pulse of whales that passed Los Angeles a few weeks back, heading north to feeding grounds in the Arctic.
“Our northbound counts are very high. We’re well above our northbound average,” she said.
And that means those whales are passing Oregon and Washington right now.
“It doesn’t surprise me you’re seeing a nice big bump in northbound grays,” Schulman-Janiger said.
In addition, Schulman-Janiger says West Coast gray whales experienced a baby boom over the past six years, and the population has increased significantly.
Overall though, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s happening with gray whales off the West Coast.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration do annual calf counts off California. Other tracking projects rely on citizen scientists and trained volunteers that count the whales from shore.
But the whales don’t always travel near the coast, and often rough oceans and bad weather can make them difficult to spot.
Gray whales are expected to be passing near the Oregon and Washington coast until June. Mothers with calves generally pass later in the spring.
Parsons, the ranger, said he’s also been seeing humpbacks and recently spent a morning tracking a pod of orcas off Oregon’s coast.
Staff at Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington are reporting high numbers of gray whale sightings, as well.
Oregon’s spring Whale Watch Week programs run March 24-31.
Copyright 2018 Earthfix
Related Stories:
Lots of whales spotted around offshore wind farm zones along West Coast
The federal government has commissioned Oregon State University to look into the possible impacts of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife. In the first year of this four-year project, the researchers spotted sizable numbers of seabirds and whales — including the largest animal on Earth — in the Oregon and Northern California areas that could one day host floating wind farms. Continue Reading Lots of whales spotted around offshore wind farm zones along West Coast
New USGS migration maps of Western wildlife might ease pressures from development and roads
Elk congregate on the Camp Creek Feed Ground in northwestern Wyoming. (Credit: USGS) Listen (Runtime 00:50) Read Lately, Matthew Kauffman has been thinking a lot about spaghetti – wildlife spaghetti… Continue Reading New USGS migration maps of Western wildlife might ease pressures from development and roads
Reducing collisions between ships and whales? There’s apps for that, but they need work
Fortunately, it doesn’t happen very often in the Pacific Northwest that ships collide with whales. But when it does, it’s upsetting, tragic and the whale probably dies. Three separate teams have developed smartphone-based systems that can alert commercial mariners to watch out, slow down or change course when whales have been sighted nearby. A recent ride-along on a big container ship demonstrated that real-time whale alerts are still a work in progress. Continue Reading Reducing collisions between ships and whales? There’s apps for that, but they need work
