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Gray whales on the West Coast are in crisis. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports a severe decline linked to climate-driven prey loss, ship strikes, entanglement, pollution, and noise. Submit a comment by Nov. 24, 2025, urging the agency to advance Endangered Species Act relisting to protect these whales.

A decade ago, the eastern North Pacific population of gray whales numbered approximately 27,000 individuals. According to the most recent count from this winter, that number is down to only 13,000 individuals, the lowest since the 1970s. Oasis Earth, an Alaskan ocean conservation organization, submitted a petition to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for these gray whales to be re-listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA must support this petition!

The eastern North Pacific gray whale population was removed from the Endangered Species Act listing in 1994. However, a recent study by NOAA found that they are in severe decline. The study cites the changing climate, specifically, the changes in prey numbers and availability in the whales' Subarctic and Arctic feeding grounds that the climate crisis is causing. Gray whales rely on these feeding grounds for the energy needed for their over 10,000-mile round-trip migration up and down the west coast of North America every year.

Along with the changing environment and dwindling prey, these whales also face disturbances from vessels and pollutants in their calving lagoons, ship strikes, oil spills, entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris, pollution from microplastics and other contaminants, and constant ocean noise from shipping, coastal development, and offshore exploration.

Another example of the decline is in the calf numbers. Typically, around 1,000 calves are born in the Baja Lagoons that head north each spring. However, there were only 85 gray whale calves that migrated past central California this year. This number is the lowest it has been since records began in 1994. Such a low number of calves suggests that females are not finding enough food to reproduce, and a low reproduction rate means it will be even more difficult for the whales to rebound.

NOAA plans to decide on whether to proceed with the next step in the relisting decision process by November 24, 2025. Public pressure is needed now to help these amazing animals.

These whales urgently need the full protection of the Endangered Species Act and sufficient protection measures in place to ensure they can rebound and thrive once again.

Letter to Decision Maker(s) for reference:

Subject: Support ESA Relisting to Save Gray Whales

I am writing to strongly urge you to support the petition submitted by Oasis Earth to relist the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population under the Endangered Species Act.

Just a decade ago, this population numbered nearly 27,000 individuals. Today, their numbers have plummeted to only about 13,000, the lowest since the 1970s. NOAA’s own studies have confirmed this severe decline, linking it to climate-driven changes in prey availability in the whales’ vital Arctic feeding grounds. Without sufficient food, gray whales cannot survive their grueling 10,000-mile migration or reproduce successfully. Alarmingly, only 85 calves were recorded migrating past central California this year, the lowest number since monitoring began in 1994.

In addition to dealing with the effects of the climate crisis, these whales face escalating human-caused threats, including:

• Ship strikes
• Oil spills
• Entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris
• Vessel traffic and disturbance in calving lagoons
• Ocean noise from shipping, coastal development, and offshore exploration
• Pollution from microplastics and contaminants

These combined threats paint a dire picture for the survival of this once-recovered population. The decline in numbers and reproductive success demonstrates that urgent action is needed now.

The Endangered Species Act provides critical tools and protections to help safeguard species at risk. Relisting gray whales under the ESA is essential to addressing the threats they face and ensuring that recovery measures are implemented before it is too late.

Please act swiftly and decisively to support this petition and restore ESA protections for Eastern North Pacific gray whales. Their survival depends on it.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Signed

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