Marine wildlife researchers are sharing findings about recent whale deaths on the West Coast of the United States. The causes of the deaths may be multiple, as the animals seem to face numerous threats.
What's happening?
On April 11, a 50-foot gray whale washed up dead on the shores of Huntington Beach, California, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a news release, officials with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and the Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance said the whale appeared to be in good physical condition and likely had been migrating north for the summer.
Officials noted in the release that domoic acid was present in the general area, resulting from a toxic algal bloom. But so far, researchers have leaned away from domoic acid, a neurotoxin, as the cause of death for the gray whale. The species doesn't typically eat during migration and therefore wouldn't be exposed to contaminated fish and plankton.
A separate release announced that the nearby deaths of two other whales earlier in 2025 — a humpback and a minke — had been linked to the toxin. But results are still pending for the Huntington Beach gray whale and one other gray whale, which died in February.
For now, it appears that whales in the region may be facing a variety of lethal hazards.
Why are marine animal deaths concerning?
While gray whales are perhaps not currently among the species of greatest concern, various whale types have been made vulnerable to endangerment and extinction — and virtually all have been made vulnerable to human encroachment. Plus, marine life can reflect the health and safety of coastal communities. Problems within those ecosystems can point to underlying issues for the planet and for human health.
An April 8 report from the L.A. Times covering the proliferation of recent whale deaths in the region, with around 70 dead since the beginning of the year, said the animals "navigate some of the world's most heavily shipped regions, maneuver through discarded fishing lines and gear, dodge pods of killer whales waiting to tear apart defenseless calves, and swim through waters polluted with microplastics, toxic chemicals and poisonous algae."
While the search for clear causes of death in the gray whale cases continues, other scientists are currently considering whether not only fertilizer runoff but also wildfire runoff may be feeding the toxic algae currently off the coast of Southern California. Reportedly, not only whales but also dolphins have been killed by this particularly harmful bloom.
What can be done?
Learning more about all the possible hazards to whale life could help inform policies to safeguard coastal habitats and the food chains that support strong, biodiverse ecosystems.
It could be interesting, for example, to learn if wildfire debris indeed has the potential to exacerbate toxic algal blooms. Not that the public needs any more reason to take action against such disasters, but understanding possible interconnections between these crises may be key to galvanizing stakeholders and creating effective policies.
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Meanwhile, as we wait to better understand the causes of death for the gray whales in these recent cases, individuals can support pro-environment policies and reduce actions with the potential to threaten marine life, such as the use of plastic packaging, improper waste disposal, and treating yards with harsh fertilizers. Coordinating such efforts with friends, families, and communities may be the most successful in terms of mass effect.
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