Gray Whales Count

 
 

If the question is “Do whales enumerate?” the answer is: We do not know. Whales are intelligent mammals, they communicate, and they may count, but we just do not know. There is so much to learn about whales, including gray whales that navigate great distances in one of the world’s longest mammal migrations, right along our shore.

In our project, people count whales in order to gain understanding about migration routes and the threats to whales as they pass through the nearshore of the Santa Barbara Channel.

We think gray whales have value: gray whales count. They are magnificent animals that have rebounded from near extinction, caused by human exploitation, primarily for oil.

Whalers attacked gray whales in the Mexican lagoons of Baja California Sur where they sought refuge in calm, warm waters to mate and give birth. Futilely defending their species against slaughter, the whales were called Devilfish and known to smash the boats of their attackers. 

By the late 1940s the population was down to perhaps 1,000 animals, too few whales for whaling to be profitable. The sanctuary of the lagoons was restored, and today, the estimate is ~20,000 animals. Gray whales were removed from the Endangered Species List in 1994. Even more remarkable, they have become “friendlies” in the lagoons. Sometimes, thirty-ton mothers glide up to small boats and, in a gentle gesture, present their newborn calves for humans to admire.

What is a gray whale ?

Quick Facts about gray whales - SWFSC.pdf  (2 pages) from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries.


our work

Please visit GWC REPORTS to see comprehensive annual reports that can be viewed in your browser. You are also able to access all the individual reports that form the comprehensive report.

Additional content we create will be posted on the GWC REPORTS page.




the migration

as others see it ...


Palos Verdes (ACS-LA) daily census report The website offers daily and cumulative results from their migration survey, perhaps a day's swim for our whales from the south.


BBC World on the Move The website of the British Broadcasting Company's 2008, year-long presentation of migrations throughout the world.

 

Do whales Count ?

Andrea Dransfield, Project Coordinator   |   805-618-5768  |   andrea@graywhalescount.org