"A whale's death offers a unique window and opportunity to study the animal up close and in this particular case, learn more about how this adult female gray whale may have been behaving in San Francisco Bay. We are hopeful that samples taken during the necropsy will shed some further light on the animal's death and help highlight the importance of keeping whales safe while they utilize this urban-wildlife habitat."
"Gray whales died in record numbers in the Bay Area last year. Out of the 26 whales that died in local waters, 21 were gray whales - the highest number of fatalities in the region in 25 years. Ships likely killed nine of them. The previous annual record was 15 gray whale deaths in 2021."
"In 2025, the overall population of gray whales that migrate along the West Coast fell to just shy of 13,000 whales, the lowest number documented since the 1970s."
A 42-foot adult female gray whale was recovered dead beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and transported to Angel Island for necropsy. Preliminary findings indicate ship strike as the cause of death. The whale was migrating from Baja California to Arctic feeding grounds when killed. This death occurs amid alarming population decline, with gray whale populations along the West Coast dropping to approximately 13,000, the lowest since the 1970s. Last year saw record fatalities in the Bay Area, with 21 of 26 whale deaths being gray whales, nine likely caused by ships. The Marine Mammal Center and California Academy of Sciences are analyzing samples to better understand the death and inform whale safety measures in urban marine habitats.
Read at SFGATE
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