{"id":933,"date":"2026-04-22T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/?p=933"},"modified":"2026-04-22T17:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T17:03:00","slug":"were-really-concerned-four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the-coast-of-b-c-in-10-days-cbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/?p=933","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We&#8217;re really concerned&#8217;: Four gray whales found dead off the coast of B.C. in 10 days | CBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"ttsIcon-cIBsl\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"toggletip-tKLKF ttsToggleTip-DSCNQ\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"toggletipInfoButton-yoX4E\" aria-label=\"More information\" aria-controls=\":R89qn5:\" aria-describedby=\":R89qn5:\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M11 7H13V9H11V7ZM11 11H13V17H11V11ZM12 2C6.48 2 2 6.48 2 12C2 17.52 6.48 22 12 22C17.52 22 22 17.52 22 12C22 6.48 17.52 2 12 2ZM12 20C7.59 20 4 16.41 4 12C4 7.59 7.59 4 12 4C16.41 4 20 7.59 20 12C20 16.41 16.41 20 12 20Z\" fill=\"black\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p>The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations may occur. We work with our partners to continually review and improve our results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Researchers are concerned about a recent spike in gray whale deaths off the coast of British Columbia. <\/p>\n<p>The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has responded to the deaths of four whales in a 10-day period off the west coast of Vancouver Island. <\/p>\n<p>DFO Marine Mammal Coordinator Paul Cottrell said three necropsies were conducted in collaboration with the Huay&#8217;a&#8217;at, Cuquot\/Chekresaht, and Woosani First Nations. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re both extremely emaciated. They&#8217;re basically bags of bones. It&#8217;s really sad to see them in that condition,&#8221; Cottrell said. <\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"dead whale being towed through the water\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1280 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" src=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">The gray whale, which was discovered near Sidney, British Columbia, was towed away by DFO on April 17th for a necropsy to be performed.<!-- --> <!-- -->(DFO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On April 8, a dead gray whale was found near Berkeley Bay, and on April 9, a second gray whale carcass was found near Cuquot. The next day, another gray whale was found floating in Berkeley Bay. A fourth gray whale was discovered off the coast of Sydney on April 17.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These are some of the worst animals I&#8217;ve ever seen,&#8221; Cottrell said. <\/p>\n<p>A total of five gray whales have been found dead in B.C. waters this year, and researchers believe the cause of death is a dramatic decline in prey available in their Arctic feeding grounds.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Last year was not a very good feeding year for gray whales in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea,&#8221; Cottrell said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_176_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A man dissects a beached whale carcass.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_176_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_176_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_176_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1280 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" src=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_176_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Stephen Laverty of B.C.&#8217;s Ministry of Agriculture and Food led the necropsy of the whale, which was found dead off the coast of Sydney on Vancouver Island.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Steven Laverty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>John Kalambokidis, a research biologist with the Cascadia Research Collective, said 13 gray whale carcasses have been discovered off the coast of Washington state this year. <\/p>\n<p>Mr Kalambokidis said whale carcasses were being discovered at an &#8220;alarming rate&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>The Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences have confirmed eight gray whale deaths in the San Francisco Bay Area so far this year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re really concerned about where this situation is going because they&#8217;ve never come this early and at this pace,&#8221; Kalambokidis said. <\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_153_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"gray whale\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_153_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_153_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_153_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1280 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" src=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_153_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4994788952579468\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">The Marine Mammal Center&#8217;s Cetacean Conservation Biology Team discovered the gray whale in San Francisco Bay on February 26th. The center&#8217;s data shows that individual gray whales are spending more time in the bay, where many are actively foraging, increasing the risk of collisions with ships.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Darin Allen\/Marine Mammal Center)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gray whales primarily feed on benthic amphipods, small crustaceans found in the bottom sediments.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Although there is a record that populations of these benthic amphipods are declining, it&#8217;s all complicated by the fact that the most dramatic change in the Arctic ecosystem is the ongoing general loss of ice,&#8221; Karambokidis said.<\/p>\n<h2>Declining gray whale population is &#8216;worrying&#8217;, researchers say<\/h2>\n<p>The gray whale population is in decline, estimated at just under 13,000 individuals. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This was less than half of what it was 10 years ago, so a decline of more than 50% in 10 years is alarming,&#8221; Karambokidis said. <\/p>\n<p>Back in 2019, there was a significant spike in the number of gray whale carcasses discovered, with 216 dead.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This has been declared an event of extraordinary mortality. In fact, we have declared that it will end in 2023,&#8221; Karambokidis said. <\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_942_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"skinny whale\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_942_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_942_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_942_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1280 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" src=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_942_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8580007064641468\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">A skinny gray whale photographed April 17 in Berkeley Bay off Vancouver Island.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Wendy Sanislaw\/DFO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Cottrell said this year could surpass B.C.&#8217;s worst year in 2019, when 11 gray whale carcasses were discovered. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This could be an even worse year than the worst year ever,&#8221; Cottrell said. <\/p>\n<p>There are also concerns about calf production rates, he said, as the females are not healthy enough to give birth to babies. <\/p>\n<p>\u201d[It\u2019s] Calf production is at its lowest in recent history, which doesn&#8217;t bode well,&#8221; Cottrell said. <\/p>\n<p>Last year, 158 gray whales were found dead, four of them in Canadian waters.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_224_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"gray whale in vancouver\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_224_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_224_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_224_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1280 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" src=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883436_224_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5003663003663004\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">A gray whale was spotted swimming off the coast of Vancouver in March.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Alex Cole)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Both Cottrell and Kalambokidis expect the death toll to continue to rise as the whale migration continues into June. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are only a small part of it,\u201d Karambokidis said. <\/p>\n<h2>Further research required<\/h2>\n<p>Wendy Zanislaw, a DFO marine mammal technician on Vancouver Island, spotted a pod of gray whales off the coast of Berkeley Bay on April 17.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Almost two-thirds of them looked very thin,&#8221; Shanislaw said. \u201cMy shoulder blade or shoulder blade was sticking out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She thinks more research could help residents because &#8220;very little is known about gray whales in British Columbia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883437_519_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"three gray whales\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883437_519_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883437_519_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883437_519_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpgResize%3D1280 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" src=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776883437_519_Were-really-concerned-Four-gray-whales-found-dead-off-the.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6344659116144793\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Wendy Zanislaw said she witnessed 20 gray whales feeding on Vancouver Island, and almost two-thirds of them were very thin.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Wendy Sanislaw\/DFO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;If we don&#8217;t know what types of prey are important to them and what habitats are important to them, it&#8217;s going to be very difficult to conserve them,&#8221; Shanislaw said.<\/p>\n<p>    She encourages anyone on the water to give gray whales plenty of space and to report any dying whales to DFO immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Cottrell said an autopsy is important to find out exactly what&#8217;s going on and rule out pathogens.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When you have this migratory species that travels long distances and feeds on small creatures, it&#8217;s important to be very careful. It could be a real sign of things to come,&#8221; Cottrell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>#concerned #gray #whales #dead #coast #B.C #days #CBC #News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations may occur. We work with our partners to continually review and improve our results. Researchers are concerned about a recent spike in gray whale deaths off the coast of British Columbia. The Department of Fisheries and &#8230; <a title=\"&#8216;We&#8217;re really concerned&#8217;: Four gray whales found dead off the coast of B.C. in 10 days | CBC News\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/?p=933\" aria-label=\"Read more about &#8216;We&#8217;re really concerned&#8217;: Four gray whales found dead off the coast of B.C. in 10 days | CBC News\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[503,662,812,1149,1681,615,2287,294,2288],"class_list":["post-933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-b-c","tag-cbc","tag-coast","tag-concerned","tag-days","tag-dead","tag-gray","tag-news","tag-whales"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyokal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}