A grey whale has been within the San Francisco Bay since early February, a file period of time that might put the animal liable to being struck by a ship, in response to the Marine Mammal Heart.
The whale, which arrived Feb. 9, was noticed Monday — 75 days later — by a analysis staff on a ship, in response to Invoice Keener of the cetacean conservation biology staff on the Marine Mammal Heart, a nonprofit rescue group. The earlier file for a grey whale within the bay was 46 days.
“We will acknowledge the pigmentation patterns on whales. You possibly can inform them aside for those who look intently sufficient,” he stated. “This whale has been right here for 2½ months. That’s a file for us — we haven’t seen one keep that lengthy earlier than.”
Throughout a standard yr, the San Francisco Bay will get one or two grey whales that keep for a day or two, in response to Keener. The whales breed in lagoons in Mexico and migrate to Alaska to feed, typically stopping within the bay alongside the way in which.
The waters within the San Francisco Bay are calm, and whales typically linger to eat and relaxation.
Starting in 2019, extra grey whales have been seen stopping within the bay, and a few washed up alongside the coast, prompting the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare an “uncommon mortality occasion.”
Up to now this migration season, eight grey whales and one humpback whale have been noticed within the bay, elevating considerations amongst scientists who concern the animals could possibly be struck by ships amid heavy maritime site visitors between Oakland and San Francisco.
“We’ve bought a posh story the place whales are coming within the bay, which is a spot of refuge for them, however that creates conservation considerations for us, with it being a busy port and the potential for ship strikes,” Kenner stated. “That’s why we’re monitoring all these whales within the bay and making an attempt to maintain them protected.”
A 35-foot grey washed up March 23 on Bolinas Seaside, east of Duxbury Level, in Marin County — the primary whale fatality within the area this yr. Scientists with the Marine Mammal Heart performed a necropsy and concluded that the whale possible died of accidents after crashing into a ship.
Humpbacks started coming to the bay in 2016, as warming oceans resulted in much less krill, the animals’ chief meals supply, which thrive in chilly waters. As an alternative, the whales started coming nearer to the coast to feed on anchovies.
“Over the last decade, the bay has been actually cleaned up,” Keener stated. “I’ve seen no whales utilizing the bay, and now we see humpbacks are available yearly.”
Keener inspired residents to report marine mammals they spot.
“We will’t all the time preserve our eyes on the water,” he stated, noting that stories from residents have been coming in. “It’s a giant space.”