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Many gray whales are starving during their northbound migration. Gray whales migrate from breeding/calving lagoons in Baja California north toward feeding grounds in Alaska and the Arctic. By the time they pass Washington in spring, some are very thin. Cascadia Research says malnutrition is the most common finding among examined whales, sometimes with additional trauma from vessel strikes. Cascadia Research reported that Washington normally averages about 5 gray whale strandings per year, but since the gray whale Unusual Mortality Event began in 2019, Washington has averaged over 15 per year, with strandings usually peaking from April through June. The suspected underlying issue is reduced food availability in the whales’ northern feeding grounds, especially the Bering and Chukchi seas. Researchers have linked this to ecosystem changes in the Arctic, where warming and sea-ice loss can affect the amphipods and other bottom-dwelling prey gray whales rely on. #onehealth #climatecrisis #foodsecurity #animalwelfare #biodiversity