14th dead whale of 2025 washes up on Montara Beach
OAKLAND, Calif. - A dead whale washed up on the shores of a Bay Area beach over the weekend, marking the fifth such instance in the last week, and the 14th of the year.
The whale, which washed up on Montara Beach, was a gray whale, according to the Marine Mammal Center. The organization told KTVU they had not yet had a chance to closely examine the animal to determine a cause of death.
Researchers with the California Academy of Sciences and the Marine Mammal Center said they haven't seen so many dead whales in the region since what they call the "unusual mortality event" between 2019 and 2023.
The Montara Beach whale was the 14th dead whale in the region since the start of the year — 13 of those were gray whales and one was a minke whale.
Since May 21 alone, stranded whales have died near Alcatraz, Point Bonita, Berkeley, the Farallon Islands and Bolinas.
An unusual year
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There have been 33 gray whale sightings confirmed by photo identification so far this year, compared to only four in 2024.
"The migration is a little bit later than it has been in years past, and we're seeing more whales enter San Francisco Bay," Kathi George, the director of cetacean conservation biology at the Marine Mammal Center, told KTVU. "The entrance to San Francisco is a very busy area with lots of vessel traffic."
The California Academy of Sciences says three were caused by boat strikes, but also said the high number of sightings in and near the Bay Area could be because of climate change.
The Marine Mammal Center works closely with the Harbor Safety Committee in San Francisco, and said ferry operators, the Coast Guard, and other boaters know to watch for whales and move out of the way when they spot one.
George said the gray whales are expected to stick around for another week or two before migrating north.
If you spot a whale, you're asked to take a picture and upload it to the Whale Alert app or contact the Marine Mammal Center.