Two gray whales found dead in Richmond just 48 hours apart

Two gray whales were discovered dead along the shoreline in Richmond just two days apart, raising concern among wildlife experts and local residents. The latest discovery marks more than a dozen gray whale deaths reported in the Bay Area so far this year.

RICHMOND, Calif. - Two gray whales were discovered dead along the shoreline in Richmond just two days apart, raising concern among wildlife experts and local residents.

The latest discovery marks more than a dozen gray whale deaths reported in the Bay Area so far this year.

The first whale was spotted Thursday by visitors near Point Isabel Regional Shoreline. A second whale washed ashore on Saturday, just about 100 meters away.

"It’s concerning for sure," said windsurfer Will Raulin. "It’s always sad to see."

Raulin said he saw another whale near Tiburon about a month ago, close to heavy boat traffic in Raccoon Strait. He reported the sighting to the Marine Mammal Center and now wonders whether vessel strikes could be playing a role in the recent deaths.

"There’s nothing really you can do in that moment, but it felt dangerously close to all the boats," said Raulin.

London Jimenez, who works at a nearby dog grooming business, said he saw officials working to remove the second whale.

"I went up and took a walk to check it out. I think they were moving it around, and it was really bringing the smell all out," said Jimenez. "From reading online, it’s pretty uncommon. Seems like more so far this year than in past years."

The Marine Mammal Center says they’ve recorded over a dozen gray whale deaths along Bay Area shorelines in 2025, with many of them occurring in recent weeks.

"Gray whales can live for a long time, and we want to understand whether this is being caused by natural things or if there are other impacts to the gray whales," said Kathi George of the Marine Mammal Center.

A necropsy is underway on the first whale to determine the cause of death. KTVU reached out to the Marine Mammal Center for details on the second dead whale discovered, but did not hear back at the time of this report.