Gray whale strandings, which occur during the spring months when whales migrate past the Washington coast, began this year on 2 April 2025 when an adult female was found on the Long Beach Peninsula. Since then, six more dead gray whales have been documented in Washington State. The number of strandings this year is higher than we typically see at this point in the stranding season, sparking concerns about the recovery of the gray whale population after the Unusual Mortality Event that occurred from 2019-2023.
Stranded whales this year have primarily been adults with evidence of malnutrition: loss of oil in the blubber layer, lack of internal fat stores, and no food in the stomach or intestines. An exception was a very healthy 1-2 year old that was the victim of a transient killer whale attack. Human activities contributed to the death of two whales; one had blunt force trauma consistent with vessel collision, and another was entangled.
We expect more strandings in the coming weeks and will be working to examine as many as possible. Cascadia Research would like to thank the organizations that have helped us with stranded whales thus far: Portland State University, SR3, Whatcom Humane Society, and the Lummi Tribe.
To report a large whale stranding in Washington, please call Cascadia’s stranding hotline at 360-791-9555. Any stranded marine mammal in WA, OR, or CA can be reported to the West Coast Stranding Network Hotline at 1-866-767-6114.