April 2, 2024 — A new count of the gray whale population along the West Coast shows “signs of recovery” five years after hundreds of them washed ashore and the population began declining, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
Scientists estimate the total number of eastern north Pacific Gray whales to be somewhere between 17,400 and 21,300, an increase from last year’s estimate, which had shown another year of decline. Last season, scientists estimated between 13,200 and 15,960 whales.
“It’s nice to be able to report some good news the last couple of years,” said Aimee Lang, a research biologist with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center.