Twelve dead gray whales were confirmed in Alaska in 2020. The Gray Whale Unusual Mortality Event, declared May 2019, continues along the west coast of North America, from Mexico through Alaska.
Each year, NOAA Fisheries collects, verifies, documents, and responds to reports of large whale entanglements. The 2019 U.S. West Coast reports, and other relevant information and developments are included in this summary.
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NOAA Fisheries is declaring an unusual spike in strandings of gray whales along the West Coast an Unusual Mortality Event, providing additional resources to respond to the strandings and triggering a focused scientific investigation into the cause.
