At least 51 whales have died off the West Coast already this year as ship strikes push the toll toward one of the deadliest on record

A new warning about whale deaths along the West Coast is raising alarm after the Center for Biological Diversity said at least 51 whales have already died in 2026.

Based on the organization's analysis, 2026 could become one of the worst years on record for West Coast whale deaths.

After examining public data and media reports, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a May 28 release gray whales account for most of the deaths documented so far this year. Many reports have come from Washington and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Bay Area has recorded 11 gray whale deaths, including two from suspected ship strikes. By early May, Washington had confirmed 22 dead gray whales and one fin whale. Another seven dead whales were found off Vancouver, British Columbia, and at least seven more were reported along the Oregon coast.

In the organization's public warning, Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, "Far too many whales are dying along the West Coast, and ship strikes and other human activities are contributing to this deadly surge."

Whales play a major role in keeping ocean ecosystems healthy. When those systems begin to break down, the effects can ripple outward to fisheries, tourism, coastal economies and food security.

The organization also said that some of the dead gray whales appeared badly undernourished. This is likely because rising global temperatures are disrupting the Arctic food web they rely on before migration. The eastern North Pacific population of gray whales is down by half compared with a decade ago.

The report also called for slower ship speeds in whale hot spots. The Center's review of federal records said 521 whales stranded on the West Coast from 2020 through 2025. They included 82 cases documented as ship strikes and 97 as fishing-gear entanglements.

Scientists reportedly believe the documented ship-strike toll is low because many whales that are hit sink.

Researchers are also raising concerns about San Francisco Bay in particular. A recent study in Frontiers in Marine Science found that the minimum mortality rate for gray whales documented there between 2018 and 2025 was 18%. Vessel strikes were linked to about 40% of the carcasses researchers examined.

The Center is now suing the U.S. Coast Guard. It's urging mandatory 10-knot speed limits in high-risk areas, which advocates say could immediately reduce whale deaths.

"It's truly tragic to see dead whales washing up on the beach, and we need these magnificent creatures to keep the ocean healthy," Sakashita said in the release.

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